Posted: Updated – 11:12PM, Wed – 11/9/22
IBA President Umar Kremlev, BFI President Ajay Singh and Nikhat Zareen during a press conference on the 2023 Indian Boxing Association (IBA) World Boxing Championships at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Photo: IANS)
New Delhi: India will host the Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi in 2023, the event’s global governing body (IBA) said on Wednesday that it will use a new artificial intelligence-based censorship system for the first time.
India will host the women’s top event two years after it was stripped of its rights to host the men’s event for not paying the necessary fees to the global governing body.
India has never hosted the men’s world championships, but this will be the third time an elite women’s tournament will be held in the country after the women’s championships in New Delhi in 2006 and 2018. India also hosted the 2017 Women’s Youth World Championships.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) and the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday in the presence of IBA President Umar Kremlev and BFI President Ajay Singh.
“The Women’s World Championships will be held in Delhi in March 2023,” Singh told reporters. “Women’s boxing has improved a lot and we are one of the top nations in the world. We were third in the last edition and our goal is to improve on that. “We expect there will be around 75-100 countries, around 1,500 boxers. Hands and coaches participate. “The tournament will also introduce a historic round review system.
“The World Championships in India will be the first to use a technology-based censorship system. That is, any disputes can be censored during the competition,” Singh said. Prize money for the event will also increase, with a total prize pool of around 195 million rupees ($2.4 million). The gold medalist will receive around 8.1 million rupees ($100,000).
The rights to host the event in India was a major development as the BFI lost the 2021 event to Serbia after failing to pay the hosting fee, prompting the International Boxing Association then known as (AIBA) to terminate its agreement. At the last women’s event in Turkey, India won three medals, including a flyweight gold for Nikhat Zareen.
New AI-based censorship system to be introduced
The IBA has developed a new artificial intelligence-based review system that will be used for the first time during next year’s Women’s World Championships.
“It will be based on artificial intelligence and we will have four cameras that will analyze from every corner of the punch. It will be monitored by evaluators and if there is something unclear, they can come during the match,” IBA Secretary General George A. Yerolimpos told PTI. “We’ll have a lot of officers monitoring it, so no one can get around the system,” he added.
One of the reasons India was chosen as the host is because it is a digital nation, said the IBA secretary general. “India was chosen not only because it is a very large country, but also because it is a digital country. We (IBA) are now fully digital, which gives us fast results.”
Boxing to debut at LA Olympics
In a major blow, boxing has been excluded from the initial list of sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, but IBA president Kremlev believes the sport will be added to the baking program at a later date. “Don’t worry. It will be included in the program. Let the Paris Olympics pass, and then we will work on it,” Kemlev said.
“The IBA is 100% complete with the recommendations made by the IOC, the new leadership is open to implementing reforms, and the IBA is 100% transparent,” he added. “There’s no question of boxing being left out. The world wants boxing to be part of the Olympic movement, and that’s a big draw for the Olympics.”
If Nihart defends world title, Mercedes will trade for her
Nikhat Zareen was quick to say that if she defends her world title next year, she will use the winnings to buy a Mercedes and invite IBA president Kremlev to her hometown of Hyderabad.
“With the cash reward, I want to buy a new house in Hyderabad, hopefully I can win next year, then use the money to buy a Mercedes and invite the IBA president to Hyderabad, let’s go for a ride,” Ni Hart said.
Russian sports officials were quick to reply: “If Nihat wins the world championship, I will give Nihat a Mercedes,” Kremlev said.
