The Italian town of Assisi has been announced as the host of the second AIBA Continental Forum ©Wikipedia

The Italian town of Assisi has been announced as the host of the second International Boxing Association (AIBA) Continental Forum.

Panama City welcomed 38 National Federations from the Americas to the inaugural Continental Forum earlier this month. 

Its European counterpart has now been announced for Assisi on February 29. 

AIBA Interim President Mohamed Moustahsane and marketing commission chair Umar Kremlev were in attendance in Panama to give progress reports, while Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee President Brian Lewis was invited to advise National Federations and Confederations on how to facilitate the renovation of Olympic boxing in line with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"The first forum has already become a great success," Moustahsane said. 

"Never before were we so close to our members in open dialogue and could note all the issues of the continent in general and countries in particular. 

"We are getting ready to conduct the next four forums in Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

"Despite the fact Europe is doing very well with boxing development, the continent has its own issues. 

"And we are going to discuss it and solve step by step. 

"We will also inform parties about reform progress and plans for [the] future on the eve of AIBA Extraordinary Congress in March."

AIBA Interim President Mohamed Moustahsane claimed the inaugural Continental Forum in Panama was a
AIBA Interim President Mohamed Moustahsane claimed the inaugural Continental Forum in Panama was a "great success" ©AIBA

The forums were devised by Kremlev to create fruitful dialogue between AIBA, Confederations and National Federations after a crisis-riddled year for the organisation.

AIBA was stripped of its Olympic status last June over a number of issues, many of which stemmed from a judging scandal during the boxing competition at Rio 2016. 

The organisation's future remains precarious due to a large amount of debt and uncertain leadership, with Moustahsane currently acting as Interim President after the resignation of Uzbekistan's Gafur Rakhimov.

Earlier this month, Nenad Lalović, head of the IOC group monitoring AIBA, slammed the lack of progress the body has made since it was suspended, warning the organisation that it needed to work much harder to be reinstated.   

Kremlev claimed in Panama that the Continental Forums gave the IOC "no reason not to reinstate" the organisation, however. 

Moustahsane also branded the forums as one of his organisation's "greatest ideas". 

Details of future forums in Asia, Africa and Oceania are yet to be announced.