AIBA Continental Boxing Forum for Oceania to take place in Fiji – Insidethegames.biz

Fiji will host the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Continental Forum for Oceania on February 22.

The event, due to take place in Nadi, is the second to be held by AIBA after the inaugural forum was held in Panama last month.

Sixteen National Federations are expected to attend.

"Oceania has big potential in developing our beautiful sport in the region," said AIBA Interim President Mohamed Moustahsane.

"We truly believe that after intense discussions at the Forum we will find solutions for how to develop boxing on the continent.

"We need to listen to Oceanian National Federations and find appropriate solutions to solve all existing issues.

"And step by step we will come to a new powerful strategy for the future."

The forums were devised by AIBA marketing commission chair Umar Kremlev to create fruitful dialogue between AIBA, Confederations and National Federations after a crisis-riddled year for the organisation.

AIBA was stripped of its Olympic status last June over a number of issues, including governance, finances and refereeing and judging.

The organisation's future remains precarious due to a large amount of debt and uncertain leadership, with Moustahsane currently acting as Interim President after the resignation of Uzbekistan's Gafur Rakhimov.

Moustahsane and Kremlev were in attendance in Panama to give progress reports, while Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee President Brian Lewis was invited to advise National Federations and Confederations on how to facilitate the renovation of Olympic boxing in line with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Last month, Nenad Lalovi, head of the IOC group monitoring AIBA, slammed the lack of progress the body has made since it was suspended, warning the organisation that it needed to work much harder to be reinstated.

Kremlev claimed in Panama that the Continental Forums gave the IOC "no reason not to reinstate" the organisation, however.

Moustahsane also branded the forums as one of his organisation's "greatest ideas".

The European Forum will take place in the Italian city of Assisi on February 29, with details for the events in Asia and Oceania yet to be announced.

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AIBA Continental Boxing Forum for Oceania to take place in Fiji - Insidethegames.biz