World Boxing’s boss to arrive tomorrow for four-day visit

Boris van der Vorst, president of World Boxing, will begin an official visit to Jamaica tomorrow. Van der Vorst, who is slated to land at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, will be in the country for four days.

Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones, president of the Jamaica Boxing Association, said: “Jamaica will be welcoming the president of World Boxing for the very first time, which is a really big deal, especially with boxing now officially included in the 2028 Olympic Games.”

The World Boxing president will get the opportunity to see firsthand Jamaica’s boxing on display in Montego Bay when he visits the Jamaica Boxing Board’s gym in St James. He will also see the schools’ programme which is under development at St Andrew Technical High School in Kingston.

During the visit, van der Vorst will be exposed to some of Jamaica’s cultural spaces, to experience the warmth, beauty and culinary delights. Additionally, he will be involved in discussions with stakeholders in the sports and boxing community, to strengthen, support and endorse the development of boxing on the island.

“We’ve been putting in the work here, the entire boxing fraternity, from the grassroots level right up to the elite, and I’m very proud that Jamaica is playing its part in boxing development across the region,” said Jones.

“So, as a regional goal, it is to make the Caribbean a real force to be reckoned with on the global stage. And having the president here gives us a chance to show what we’re building and, hopefully, get his endorsement before he leaves. So we are looking forward to welcoming him for a couple days,” said Jones.

Van der Vorst is an experienced and passionate boxing administrator with a track record of transformative leadership, and an accomplished entrepreneur in the healthcare industry.

He has a rich history and commitment to keeping boxing at the heart of the Olympic Movement and fostering its sustainable development. That was the driving force behind his desire to keep boxing in the Olympics when he became a founding member of World Boxing and its first president in 2023. He noted that Jamaica is an important plank in the development of the sport in the Caribbean and the world.