Vargas elected to World Boxing Executive Board
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 28 Dec 2023
ABAP chairman Ricky Vargas was elected as Executive Board member of World Boxing during the 27-nation federation’s inaugural Congress in Frankfurt recently. Vargas was the second highest vote-getter with 56.1 percent of ballots cast among nine candidates for four Executive Board member positions. He was carried in the tickets of both presidential aspirants Boris van der Vorst of the Netherlands and Elise Siegnolle of USA.
In submitting himself as the lone Asian candidate, Vargas said he stood by the principles of integrity, transparency, fair play and proper governance. He cited his experience as former POC president in leading a fragmented body and laying the groundwork for unity through a fair election. “The short-term goal of World Boxing is to preserve our sport in the Olympics,” he said. “IOC has withdrawn recognition of IBA (International Boxing Association) and it has been contested before CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). We expect IOC’s decision to be upheld and when it happens, the process of accrediting World Boxing, which is registered in Lausanne, can start. So far, there are only two Asian countries affiliated with World Boxing, the Philippines and Mongolia.” The long-term goal is widespread global representation.
The polls determined the members of the World Boxing Executive Board, namely van der Vorst as president, Ryan O’Shea of Canada, Matt Holt of UK and Dinah Glykidas of Australia as vice presidents, Michael Muller of Germany, Vargas, Susanne Karrlander of Sweden and Marcos Candido de Brito of Brazil as members, Hernan Salvo of Argentina as Sport and Competition Committee chair, Dr. Armando Sanchez of USA as Medical and Anti-Doping Committee chair and Julie Felton of Australia as Audit and Finance Committee chair.
“It was more fellowship than politics in the Congress,” said Vargas. “There was a clear sense of transparency in the conduct of the elections. I was impressed by World Boxing’s organizational efficiency which was very corporate. There is an accreditation process for new member nations with a lot of requirements in line with good governance guidelines. It’s very different from IBA.” When IBA was formed in 1946, its membership was less than at World Boxing’s inception last April. IBA was recently stripped of IOC recognition because of allegations of corruption, rigged results of competitions, poor governance and lack of financial transparency. IBA is convening its own congress in December in Dubai with Russian Umar Kremlev at the helm. Vargas will return home from Frankfurt today with ABAP secretary-general Marcus Manalo and international boxing technical delegate Karina Picson who is being tapped to join the World Boxing Women’s Commission.
Photo: Newly-voted Executive Board member Ricky Vargas and President-elect Boris van der Vorst join forces at the inaugural World Boxing Congress in Frankfurt.
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