WBC sets foot in Oman

Muscat: The World Boxing Council (WBC), one of the largest international boxing organizations in the World, has extended the invitation of the WBC Amateur representation in Oman to Baqar Haider, Coach at Muscat Fight Club.

Together they aim to further advance boxing in Oman and to use the WBC as a tool to collaborate with local authorities, neighbouring countries and help develop the sport for the youth, through joint events and promotions.

For those unfamiliar with WBC, it is an organization which was established in 1963, head quartered in Mexico. It is considered the elite of the boxing federations and boasts world renowned champions from the ages such as Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson, Prince Naseem Hamed and Floyd Mayweather, and more notably the current heavyweight champion such as Tyson Fury to name a very few.

This was almost 4 years in the making and is a big step towards having the sport of Boxing reaching out to the youth of Oman says Baqar. The main advantage of this representation is that it allows us to benchmark future events and to follow international best practices when it comes to event management, governance, safety and most importantly it gives the Omani youth a trajectory to compete for and win WBC approved belts and allows us to get on the international ranking system.

WBC amateur bouts are usually 3 x 2 min rounds, where the athletes are scored on a 10 point system wearing fully protective gear, including head guards, gloves etc. Quantity and duration of rounds may increase depending on the experience levels of the athletes and if it is a title fight. All bouts are judged by 3 independent judges, have an independent referee, and the entire event is supported with all the required medical support and facilities before, during and after the competition. Stringent health checks and precautions are taken to maximise the safety and wellbeing of the athletes. The sanctioning body and independent commissions will ensure complete transparency and fairness and will govern the safety and protocols throughout the event.

Whilst this is amateur level only, it’s a step in the right direction and with the number of athletes currently available along with the number of active clubs teaching boxing the future of the sport now has a much brighter outlook.

Baqar follows by saying that this representation ties with the Oman 2040 Vision bridging the gap between the public and private sector partnerships promoting the health of the nation and developing tourism in our case being through sports.