The Boxing Federation of Kyrgyzstan reports that the issue with visa processing for team members has been successfully resolved. "Thanks to the prompt assistance of the administration of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic and the State Agency for Physical Culture, the visas were obtained. We also express our gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic in the UAE for their active negotiations with the tournament organizers and the relevant authorities, which helped eliminate the difficulties that arose," the federation reports.
All members of the national team who received visas are now actively preparing for the trip and the World Championship.
Athletes confirmed to Kaktus.media that the last members of the team also received visas and plane tickets. All expenses for these tickets were covered by the President of the International Boxing Association (IBA), Umar Kremliev, as previously purchased tickets unfortunately lost their relevance due to flight delays. "Without significant support from our state institutions, including the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan, it would have been difficult for us," they added.
It should be noted that on December 2, it became known that more than half of the team members were unable to obtain visas for the flight to Dubai. The athletes waited until the last moment to depart, but their visa applications were denied. Federation officials faced criticism for their careless handling of the situation. In response, they pointed out that this tournament was not included in the calendar, as the boxers had previously participated in another World Championship organized by World Boxing.
It is worth noting that in 2019, the IBA was stripped of its right to conduct Olympic qualifying events and competitions due to financial issues and a management crisis. In June 2023, the IOC also revoked the association's recognition status, to which the IBA responded that this decision was politically motivated. Currently, the IBA unites 198 national federations.
For its part, the organization World Boxing was founded in April 2023 as an alternative to the IBA with the aim of preserving boxing in the Olympic movement. It seeks recognition from the IOC; however, this requires waiting for the completion of the arbitration proceedings between the IOC and the IBA.
