Somali Boxing Federation Origins

1935 was when the first so-called Somali Boxing Association was brought into being. At the time, the country was still under the Italian colonial rule and only members from the Italian army stationed in Somalia, particularly their air force pilots were the main practicing individuals of this sport. During 1955,56 and 57 boxing tournaments took place in southern Somalia between some Somali boxing amateurs and the Italians. In the colonial times, there have been three schools where boxing was taught including one in Abdiaziz district, another in Shibis and a third in Hamarweyne all in the capital Mogadishu. These schools were run by Signor Patariani and Giaoni Perti among other Italian colonial officials. In 1960 when the Italians left the country and Somalia gained its independence, boxing did not stay behind them and it came to an end. In late 70s the military government re-organized it by recruiting and training boxers. However, it did not get off the ground because in Somalia this type of sport has always been dwarfed by other more popular sports such as football and basket ball.

In 2018 was when the old Somali boxing association was renamed as the Somali Boxing Federation (SBF). The Somali Boxing Federation has been created in order to provide the young Somali athletes to get a chance to develop in their sports. As we are a new federation, we have to have core structure to have a successful strategy. To have a successful strategy and meet the visions of the federation, we need to create a solid leadership, governance, operations and staffing structure. The new strategic plan recognizes we are the leaders of Boxing within Somalia and that we need to foster and grow the sport. Our plan provides the platform to identify new opportunities to increase participation at the grass roots level and maximize our potential for sustained international success.