The International Boxing Association (AIBA) is delighted to announce that after only two years of work, the AIBA World Boxing Academy is ready to be unveiled in Talgar, Almaty region (Kazakhstan). Its Grand Opening will take place on October 24.
The Kazakhstan Boxing Federation (KBF) was entrusted with the construction of these state-of-the-art facilities and with the country already recognized as an architectural centre of excellence, featuring projects that include the Pyramid of Peace and the Central Concert Hall, AIBA had complete faith that the delivery of this project would exceed expectations.
“By accepting AIBA’s request, the KBF and the Kazakh Government have given their utmost efforts to build this Academy in the shortest time possible for the global boxing family”, stated AIBA President, Dr Ching-Kuo Wu. “Thanks to the excellent work carried out for months by many people, the construction, which started back in the fourth quarter of 2011, has now been completed and all facilities will be operational by early 2014”.
The Soldatkoe Valley, situated at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level, is an extremely popular strength and conditioning training destination for athletes from Kazakhstan and its neighbouring countries. The Academy will have the picturesque foothills of the Alatau as a backdrop, and will be situated right on the edge of the protected ecological green zone: a perfect location for those essential morning jogs. This idyllic setting and functional location are some of the principle reasons why the AIBA World Boxing Academy will soon be welcoming a whole new generation of champions.
The Academy will serve as a specialised centre of excellence for AIBA National Member Federations. The aim will be to provide the most modern training facilities and programs, not only for the development of athletes but also for a wide range of experts, coaches, judges, doctors, sports managers and administrators. This new sports complex will become one of the main centres for the further development and promotion of boxing in the world. Classrooms as well as uber-modern gyms and boxing halls, specialist staff and the latest equipment, will be key to developing future champions.
The architectural ensemble includes a sport complex for training and competitions equipped with 10 training rings, a 25-meter swimming pool, an administrative building, a hotel with 168 beds, a restaurant that caters for up to 104 people, a cafe, a dining room that seats 180, a football field with a running track, and an underground car park with 21 available spaces. The Academy will cover an area of 20’000m2. It will be the perfect setting to help the world’s best talent fulfil their potential and become Olympic and World Champions.
“The AIBA World Boxing Academy will set best practice global standards for boxing education, development and performance and serve as a nucleus for the sport’s growth into the future”, said Dr Wu. “By having a focal point for boxing education, we have created an environment in which boxing experts can gather from around the world, and whether they are athletes, coaches or officials, they can learn from each other and our highly trained instructors. The boxers themselves will benefit from elite coaching, extraordinary facilities and world class sparring and training partners from around the globe. This kind of forum can only serve to drive the knowledge base and thus development of our sport onwards”.
