The World Boxing Council (WBC) has officially reaffirmed its stance regarding boxers from Russia and Belarus. The decision was made and announced at the organization's annual World Congress, held in Acapulco, Mexico. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing a Facebook post by Alina Shaternikova, Vice President of the National Professional Boxing League of Ukraine. According to her, the WBC is maintaining sanctions against the aggressor state and the accomplice state, and the Ukrainian team that worked on preserving the restrictions received a special expression of gratitude.
Decision of the Acapulco Congress
As Alina Shaternikova stated, the World Boxing Council maintains sanctions against the aggressor country and the other accomplice country. The official emphasized that the decision was adopted and announced at the annual world congress taking place in Acapulco at the time of her statement. Thus, the organization has not changed its course despite ongoing discussions surrounding the potential return of representatives from aggressor countries to international sports.
Context of Previously Imposed Restrictions
The restrictions have been in effect since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At that time, the WBC decided to exclude Russian and Belarusian boxers from its rankings and also stopped sanctioning professional bouts in both territories. The congress in Mexico confirmed that this line remains unchanged: the organization does not resume sanctioning fights in the specified areas and does not return athletes to the ranking systems.
Contribution of Ukrainian Boxers to Preserving Sanctions
Separately, the Vice President of the National Professional Boxing League of Ukraine expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian team that worked on preserving the restrictions. In her post, Shaternikova specifically noted the contribution of legendary Ukrainian boxers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, whose stance, she said, was significant in maintaining the sanctions. This indicates that pressure on the organization from the Ukrainian boxing community continued throughout the entire period the restrictions were in place.
Award for the WBC President
The congress in Mexico became the occasion for a special event for the organization's leadership. On November 12, WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán was presented with the Ukrainian Order of Merit, 3rd Class. The respective award was conferred upon him in September by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the presentation ceremony took place directly during the 64th World Boxing Council Congress in Acapulco. Thus, the top leadership of WBC publicly reaffirmed its affiliation with the Ukrainian side at the time the sanctions were extended.
WBC's Position Amid International Discussions
The congress decision is significant in the context of ongoing debates regarding the admission of athletes from aggressor countries to international competitions. As follows from the statement, the WBC is currently maintaining its previous position and is not softening the restrictions. For Russian and Belarusian professional boxing, this means continued isolation from the organization's sanctioning and no access to its rankings until the council's position is reviewed at the next decision-making level.
