Bangkok: Pichai Chunhavajira has been elected unopposed as the president of the Asian Boxing Association (ABA), marking a new era of transparency and commitment to Olympic Games objectives. Chunhavajira, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and President of the International Boxing Association of Thailand, will lead the ABA for a four-year term.
According to Thai News Agency, the election took place during a meeting at The Grand Fourwing Hotel, where the Asian Boxing Federation, also known as Asian Boxing, convened. This newly established organization aims to collaborate with World Boxing, which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has certified in place of the International Boxing Association (IBA), due to ongoing issues with the latter.
The meeting's key agenda item was the election of the president and vice president, in which 32 member nations participated. Chunhavajira was elected without opposition, reflecting strong support for his leadership. He expressed that the IOC has temporarily recognized boxing as an Olympic sport and emphasized that his main policy as chairman will be to promote transparency in Asian boxing by strictly adhering to IOC recommendations.
The Asian Boxing Organization, under Chunhavajira's chairmanship, will oversee a range of boxing activities across Asia. This includes the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, scheduled to be hosted by Thailand from December 9-20 this year, and the 2026 Asian Games set to take place in Nagoya, Japan.