1)Reach of your Sport? Members/subscribers, fan base –

AIBA has a universal membership with 195 Member National Federations, present on all continents. It is a male dominated sport, however the level and participation in female boxing is increasing. To improve its popularity among its athletes and attract new members, AIBA has acted positively to improve safety with specific rules to ensure the preservation of the athletes’ health.

Boxing enjoys a strong tradition in Olympics with 23 participations since 1904.

It seems that the main mediums to reach out to their audience are through competition (International, continental, national) and subsequent coverage and their website.

2)Audience? What media exposure your IF has had – looking at any TV coverage, broadband/internet, print or other media proposition.

Statistics from the 2004 Olympics and 2 recent world championships show that it attracts a fairly low number of media and low international broadcasting and of TV rights sold. The 2005 world championships were broadcasted in 13 countries, and 11 media accreditation were delivered.

The first proof of pugilism was found in Egypt and dates back to the year 3000 BC. The fighters were naked and part of the King’s festivities. For years and years, boxing continuously evolved and was first accepted as an Olympic sport in 688 BC at the 23rd Olympiad in Olympia. Onomastos of Smyrna became the first Olympic champion. More than 2,600 years later, boxing remains on the Olympic Games programme. The first boxing competition at the Olympic Games of modern times was the 1904 edition in St-Louis (USA) with bouts in seven weight divisions. The first AIBA World Championships were held in 1974 in one of the strong beds of boxing – Havana, Cuba. Boxing has now risen to encompass men’s and women’s world championships at elite, youth and junior level in addition to the Olympic Games, the AIBA World Cup and AIBA President’s Cup. New disciplines and new competitions are testament to the ever changing world of international boxing and its popularity.