DOHA: AIBA, the world governing body in boxing, has launched a new campaign designed to change the perception of the sport, a top official said.
Karim Bouzidi (pictured), AIBA Executive Director, said AIBA has initiated a ‘Heads Up’ campaign aimed at taking the sport to new audiences with a message - boxing is not just about punching between two rivals.
“It’s a carefully designed campaign to change the perception of boxing,” Bouzidi said.
“What is boxing today? The two fighters competing each other in the ring is what people see but boxing is more than just two people fighting,” Bouzidi said.
“Boxing can be used to educate the young generation. It can teach values of fair play. ‘Heads Up’ programme will certainly help in the development of the sport,” Bouzidi added.
“The ‘Heads Up’ campaign will help draw the attention of the global media and the sponsors to assist in the development of the sport definitely,” he said.
“We want to tell the people that boxing is fun. It is not just sport. It is also about ethics, value, education - it is all of that,” Bouzidi said.
When asked about the target audience, Bouzidi said the ‘Heads Up’ campaign was not age specific.
“It is for all people,” Bouzidi said. “It will serve to educate people of all ages.
“We will also talk to older people about fitness and movement plus education. We won’t just target the younger generation. It is open for all people.
“We have launched this in Qatar and we will take it to other countries also. We will focus on the health of the athletes,” he said.
“That will be our first initiative in this campaign. You know that we removed the head guard for the safety of the athlete, as you can understand.
“When we put the head guard - probably in 1980 - the boxers would protect themselves with the head guard and lost completely the way to control the fights. It was totally different from the origins of boxing. That was not boxing.
“They would put the head down. So that’s why we have named this campaign ‘Heads Up’. They have to think about boxing and the roots of this sport and to protect themselves.
“This is what boxing is all about. You have to raise your heads. This is not about punching only. This is about receiving (blows), to defend, to protect themselves.
“This is what we want to explain to the younger generation,” he said. “Raise your head, respect your opponent, carry good values in life,” he added.
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) after discussions with AIBA on Thursday approved the “Official Countdown Logo” of the championships. Also on Thursday, boxing officials unveiled the medal design of the 2015 World Boxing Championships set to be held in Doha in October. THE PENINSULA
