Mr. Afshin Davari – Our long-term plan is to win a medal in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Mr. Afshin Davari Lotfabadi is leading the office of the Iranian Boxing Federation before their new elections and answered the Asian Boxing Confederation’s questions about their history, current boxing life and future plans. The next Presidential elections in the Iranian Boxing Federation will be held in the upcoming months.
Iran claimed a wonderful gold medal in the 2017 ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships in Bangkok where Reza Hassan Nia was able to get the title. Their young prospect Sajjad Kazemzadeh achieved bronze medal in the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships and showed his great potential in the welterweight (69kg). Iran has got great traditions in boxing and their management is working hard to rejoin to the top Asian nations in our sport.
– Could you please introduce your country’s boxing life?
– The original boxing sport is more than 80 years old in Iran and since 1948 the country almost continuously attended in the Olympic Games, AIBA World Boxing Championships, Asian Games and ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships.
Although Iran was not so successful in the boxing tournament in the Olympic Games and in the AIBA World Boxing Championships yet, our country achieved more than 150 medals in the Asian Games and in the various ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships.
Our athletes were unable to train between 1981 and 1989 which was a huge disadvantage for us in Iran. After 1989 a new era began in Iran’s boxing life and the collapse of the Soviet Union meant the level of the Asian Boxing Championships were raised with the presence of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Iran became third among the countries in the 1993, 1995 and in the 1997 editions of the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships.
Currently we have got more than 21,000 boxers throughout the country in Iran who are engaged to the sport and do exercises every week. Our champions in Iran are practicing in various campgrounds for junior, youth and elite athletes. We launched also our first Schoolboys National Championships in 2016.
– Would you like to tell us your strategic plans for the future and the key developments in your country?
– Iran’s strategic goals have got six main elements:
1. Performing a survey to identify future boxers throughout our big country.
2. To create boxing sport in schools, universities and military forces to compete in the FISU University World Boxing Championships and in the CISM World Military Games.
3. Opening of women’s boxing which unfortunately did not exist in Iran but we are providing administrative affairs to launch women’s boxing in the country
4. Generalization of boxing which would be the best way to recognize talents in the country.
5. Ensuring the knowledge of the AIBA Instructors to raise the level of coaches and R&Js in Iran.
6. Establish short and long-term plans for the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Iran’s long-term strategy is to achieve medal in the boxing tournament of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
– What are the main strengths and issues in your boxing life?
– The strong presence of young people who are interested about boxing is a big strength in Iran and we would like to use this to develop our background. Martial arts are popular in Iran and we have got potential also in boxing.