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12/12/2006 Archived Entry: "WBC Celebrates 31 Years with Sulaiman at Helm!"
WBC Celebrates 31 Years with Sulaiman at Helm!
By Jill Diamond
WBC Female Boxing Committee
This has been an awesome week for the World Boxing Council. Yesterday, we celebrated the first thirty-one years of Jose Sulaiman's election to the Presidency of the organization. And today, Jose was voted into the International Hall of Fame!
There are many elements that create a person of substance; therefore, I thought you might apprecicate some facts about Jose you might not already know:
Citation by the United Nations in New York, in 1988, for his 19 years of leadership in the world against Apartheid and racial discrimination, under the Secretariat of Javier Perez de Cuellar and President of the General Assembly, Gen. Joseph N. Garba. Doctor, “Honoris Causa”, in Humane Letters by the Newport University of California, Campus Mexico, in 1997.
· Doctor, “Honoris Causa”, in Social Sciences and Philosophy by the London Institute of Technology & Research, in 1998.
· Doctor, “Honoris Causa”, in Physical Culture by the Russian State Academy of Physical Culture, in Moscow, Russia, in 1999.
· Has been granted the Keys of the following cities: Los Angeles, California, USA, by the hands of Mayor Tom Bradley, as well as Casablanca, Morocco; Madrid and Torremolinos, Spain; Tunis, Tunisia; Pattaya, Thailand; Seoul, Korea; Montreal, Canada; Venice, Italy; Cartagena, Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela; Dakar, Senegal; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Miami, Florida and Miami Dade, Florida, USA, as well as other cities in the world.
· Has been received by many chiefs of state.
· Pope John Paul II · King Bhumibol Adulyadej, of Thailand · President Ronald Reagan, of USA · President Nelson Mandela, of South Africa. · King Juan Carlos II, of Spain · King Hassan II, of Morocco · Presidents don Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, José Lopez Portillo, Miguel de la Madrid, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Ernesto Zedillo and Vicente Fox of México. · President Carlos Saul Menem, of Argentina. · President Emile Lahoud, of Lebanon · President Thabo Mbeki, of South Africa · King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev., of Nepal · President Ferdinand Marcos of Philippines. · President Giscard D’Estaing, of France · President of Panama, General Omar Torrijos · President Fidel Ramos, of Philippines. · President Mireya Moscoso, of Panama · President Violeta Barrios Vda. de Chamorro, of Nicaragua · President Arnoldo Aleman, of Nicaragua · President Habib Bourguiba, of Tunisia. · President Abdou Diouf, of Senegal · President Sulayman Franjiye, of Lebanon · President Chun Doo Hwan, of Korea · President Luis Herrera Campins, of Venezuela · Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Troudeau · Prime Minister of Aruba, Hanny Emann · Prime Minister of Thailand Prim Tunsolanonda · Prime Minister of Puerto Rico Carlos Romero Barcelo · Prince of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, · Prince of Nepal Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. · Many other high government authorities.
Some accomplishments that have changed the world of boxing under the leadership of Jose Sulaiman:
· Reduction from 15 to 12 rounds in championship bouts. · Official weigh-in ceremony 24-36 hours before the bout. · Precautionary weigh-ins 30 and 7 days before the date of the fight. · Creation of several intermediate weight categories. · Over 1 million dollars donated to UCLA for brain injuries research. · Thumb-attached gloves and elimination of 6 ounces gloves. · Life and hospitalization insurance for all WBC cards. · Mandatory annual medical examinations and examinations before and after bouts. · Emergency equipment at ringside and ambulance on site. · Awareness programs against drugs, alcohol and AIDS. · Organization of the First World Medical Congress for Boxing in Aruba in 1997. · Countless medical seminars around the world. · Mandatory antidoping tests after the bout. · Electrolyte drinks to be used during the bout. · The red and green cards for communication between referees and ring doctors. · Prohibition of salts and hemostatics during resting periods between rounds. · The fourth rope in the ring. · Advocated women's boxing, forming the WBC Female Championship Committee to standardize safety and bolster opportunity. OK! Click your mouse and look inside. There'll be a test later!
