The race to control professional boxing in Ghana formally begins tomorrow as nominations open for the June 4 elections that will produce a new leadership for the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), following months of sweeping reforms triggered by the sport’s recent safety crisis.
At stake is more than administrative control. The election is expected to determine whether Ghana boxing can rebuild credibility, restore public confidence and institutionalise the medical and governance reforms introduced after two boxing-related deaths forced the dissolution of the previous GBA board and the temporary suspension of the sport last year.
According to a communiqué issued by the Ghana Boxing Interim Management Committee (GBIMC), the Extraordinary Congress to elect substantive officers will be held at the Accra Sports Stadium under an electoral roadmap developed in line with the GBA constitution.
A three-member committee chaired by GBIMC Chairman, Samir Captan, will supervise the entire electoral process until the successful candidates are sworn into office.
The positions up for grabs include President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Treasurer and four Executive Board Member slots, offices that will now carry the enormous responsibility of rebuilding confidence in a sport still recovering from reputational and operational trauma.
Prospective candidates are required to pick up nomination forms from tomorrow and are required to submit completed forms, duly endorsed by a proposer and seconder, to the GBIMC Secretariat by May 19. The final list of approved candidates is expected to be released between May 22 and 23.
Eligibility criteria
The communiqué also makes clear that only members and associations in good standing — fully registered, licensed and financially compliant — will be eligible to vote. Delegates must equally be officially nominated and submitted by the May 19 deadline.
The election is expected to mark the climax of the Interim Management Committee’s mandate after it was appointed jointly by the National Sports Authority and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation in September last year to restore order and credibility to the sport.
Since assuming control, the IMC has concentrated heavily on tightening medical and safety regulations, introducing stricter health protocols and building what officials describe as the first comprehensive medical database for professional boxers in Ghana.
In another significant intervention, the committee has scheduled a second phase of mandatory medical screening for all licensed boxers on May 27 and 28 at the Lapaz Community Hospital.
The exercise, fully sponsored by a new partner that will also provide transportation for athletes, follows the first screening exercise undertaken in November last year with support from Star Assurance.
Prioritising boxer welfare
Mr Captan insisted that boxer welfare would remain central to the reform agenda and stressed that the medical screening exercise was non-negotiable for active fighters.
“The health of boxers is our priority and this exercise is to promote athlete safety, longevity and professionalism,” he stated, underlining the IMC’s determination to institutionalise stronger safeguards within the sport.
He added that every active boxer must fully participate in the screening exercise to ensure inclusion in the newly developed GBIMC medical database, which will eventually be handed over to the incoming GBA executive board.
Beyond the election itself, the process is increasingly being viewed as a referendum on the future direction of Ghana boxing, with the next leadership inheriting the difficult responsibility of rebuilding a sport whose image suffered severe damage, while balancing demands for stronger regulation, improved athlete protection and renewed commercial confidence.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh