Doha: The German city of Hamburg will host the 2017 AIBA World Boxing Championships, it was announced yesterday.
Hamburg, which is also one of the cities aiming to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, beat two other bids to secure the event in two years’ time.
“Hamburg proved its appetite for boxing when it held the APB finals in September, and the country’s capacity for hosting major sporting events like the AIBA World Boxing Championships is clear,” said AIBA’s president Ching-Kuo Wu (pictured).
AIBA said it would not reveal the identity of the losing bids, though Sochi in Russia earlier this year expressed interest in hosting the 2017 championships.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the governing body’s executive committee in Qatar, where the current world championships are being held.
The finals for that event take place today and tomorrow.
Jürgen Kyas, AIBA Executive Committee Member and President of the German Boxing Federation, was thrilled with the decision.
“The Qatar Boxing Federation has done an outstanding job in Doha, and this underlines the confidence AIBA has in our federation’s capacity to organise an event of this magnitude. We are already looking forward to hosting the world’s most exciting boxing tournament, and the World Boxing Championships Hamburg 2017 will be of huge importance to the continuing growth of German boxing,” he said.
Following the meeting, AIBA Vice President and EUBC President Franco Falcinelli was swift to add his words of support for the city.
“With Hamburg being awarded the 2017 World Boxing Championships, Europe is proud of hosting this major event for our sport in Germany for the third time after Munich in 1982 and Berlin in 1995. I’m confident it will be an amazing Championships in a city with a long boxing tradition?,” said Mr Falcinelli.
Michael Neumann, Senator of the Ministry of Interior and Sports of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg was thrilled with the news. “It is a great success for us and we will take the opportunity to show the world what we are capable of. My city is very grateful to AIBA for their decision,” said Neumann.
The Peninsula
