Following the decision to move the venues of the 2010 AIBA Congress and 2011 AIBA World Championships from the city of Busan, Korea, the new venue for the 2011 AIBA World Championships is now confirmed as Baku, Azerbaijan.
At its three-day meeting in Marrakech from July 9-11, the AIBA Executive Committee agreed to move the venues of its 2010 Congress and 2011 World Championships due to ongoing leadership problems in the Korean Amateur Boxing Federation, which was set to host both events in the city of Busan. After being delegated by the Executive Committee to find a suitable venue for the 2011 AIBA World Championships, the AIBA President immediately contacted the Azerbaijan Boxing Federation and received the agreement to host this prestigious event.
"The World Championships is the most important event for any sport governing body," said AIBA President Ching-Kuo Wu. "This event will only be able to succeed with support from a highly professional and committed local organizing committee backed by both the host cities and the national host federation. Unfortunately, given the current situation with the governing body for boxing in South Korea, such conditions are clearly not in place."
The confirmation that the 2011 World Championships will be held in Baku cements the city's position as a major venue for boxing events, since it hosted the 2009 AIBA President's Cup and the 2010 AIBA Youth World Championships. With the Elite World Championships, the city now adds the most prestigious AIBA event to its boxing portfolio.
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