World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst says his five-day visit to the island was meant not only to forge partnerships for the sport’s growth locally, but also to show his gratitude to the country for its role in allowing boxing to retain its Olympic status.

Boxing was removed from the list of sporting disciplines for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles because, in 2019, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) withdrew its recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) on what it cited as grounds of financial intransparency, issues with its sustainability, and its systems regarding the integrity of its judges and referees.

With that decision coming before the Paris Games, the IOC organised boxing at that Olympics because it had no recognised entity to do so, but said this would not happen at Los Angeles. World Boxing was then established in 2023, with van der Vorst, of The Netherlands, as its president. Jamaica Boxing Association (JBA) President “Bomber” Stephen Jones was a member of the Olympic Commission within World Boxing when it was established.

“By that time in 2023, boxing was in serious problems,” van der Vorst said in a press conference at the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) headquarters yesterday. “I am here to honour my true boxing friend, President Bomber, for his great efforts to keep boxing in the Olympics by showing great initiative by being the first Caribbean federation to join World Boxing.”

Van der Vorst presented Jones with a plaque to show his appreciation.

Jones said it means the world to him that van der Vorst visited.

“Having Boris here, and with the hat that he wears as president of World Boxing, the most powerful man, in my opinion, in the sport, globally, having him come to Jamaica, it moves the needle for us here,” Jones told the Jamaica Observer. “It validates a lot of what we’ve been doing because the journey is not easy. He’s the most in-demand president at the moment, so for him to take the time to come here, we welcome it.”

Van der Vorst sees Jamaica as the hub for boxing in the Caribbean region in the near future, because of projects World Boxing intends to partner with the JBA to materialise.

“It’s important to increase the level of the coaches and it’s all about the framework that you are organising to facilitate a programme for the road for 2028,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “I think it’s important to stress that I was really pleasantly surprised by the enormous social impact that boxing has here in Jamaica with the Gloves Over Guns programme (in which youngsters from lower-income communities are brought into gyms and trained at the grass-roots level).

“It was heartbreaking what I saw on Sunday, the young boys and girls telling me about how boxing has changed their lives. Some of them have told me that boxing even saved their lives, so that’s incredible. It’s so crucial that as a sport, you are so relevant to society.”

Jamaica has not only hosted World Boxing’s president this year, but also the International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, the Americas Paralympic Committee Executive Director Michele Formonte, and other officials from that body. Jamaica also hosted then-International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in March 2023.

JOA President Christopher Samuda says these high-level meetings are vital to the association’s foreign policy.

“One of its objectives is to ensure that we secure the cooperation of international federations, which are the governing bodies of the respective sports,” Samuda shared. “Part of that governance structure is to ensure that the presidents come here so that we can have direct dialogue with them regarding issues such as infrastructure, talent, coaches, and so forth.”

Samuda, with a smile, said other presidents of international governing bodies are scheduled to visit the island this year. While he did not share the names of most, he said International Gymnastics Federation President Morinari Watanabe of Japan is due on the island shortly.