World Boxing Elects Boris van der Vorst as First President

Boris van der Vorst has been elected as the inaugural president of World Boxing at its Congress in Frankfurt and will serve a two-year term after winning 63% of the vote in a runoff against USA Boxing representative Elise Seignolle.

The presidential election was one of a series of votes at the Congress, which was attended by 26 of World Boxing’s 27 members and covered a range of positions including three vice presidents, four places on World Boxing’s Executive Board and the chairs of multiple other committees.

“I am humbled and honored to have been elected president of World Boxing and I would like to thank everyone that has supported me in recent weeks and over the last few years,” said van der Vorst, who will serve an initial two-year term. “My campaign was based on the principles of integrity, honesty and trust and I will continue to promote these values within our growing boxing family. Making sure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement is our number one priority and I look forward to working together with the newly elected board and all of our member National Federations to help us deliver this.”

A collection of boxing leaders from across the world, including USA Boxing, created World Boxing in April 2023 which aims to ensure that boxing remains a part of future Olympic Summer Games. Boxing’s spot in the 2028 Olympic Summer Games program will remain on pause even after previous IOC assurances that it would be in LA.

In the vice-presidential elections, the top three vote getters were Boxing Canada’s Ryan O’Shea, GB Boxing’s Matt Holt and Dinah Glykidis, the chief executive officer of Boxing Australia. The four candidates elected to the executive board were Michael Muller (Germany), Victorico Vargas (Philippines), Susanne Karrlander (Sweden) and Marcos Candido de Brito (Brazil).

Hernan Salvo of Argentina will be chair of the Sport and Competition Committee; Dr. Armando Sanchez from the United States will chair the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee and Australia’s Julia Felton will chair the Finance and Audit Committee. The 11 election winners will form a 14-person executive board, along with athlete representatives Lauren Price and Richard Torrez Jr. and Secretary General Simon Toulson.

“The inaugural Congress is a very significant milestone in the development of World Boxing and to have so many members attend in person is a sign of people’s commitment to the organization and everything we are trying to achieve for the sport,” said Toulson. “Hosting open, fair and transparent elections is a central element of World Boxing’s commitment to operating to the highest standards of governance and today’s events today have shown that the organization is delivering on this commitment and I look forward to working with the newly appointed Executive Board and to help create a better future for the sport.”