LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - GB Boxing will seek associate membership of World Boxing, a new rival to the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA), as the divided sport fights for its Olympic future, it said on Tuesday. GB Boxing delivers the United Kingdom's publicly-funded World Class Programme but is not a national governing body as England, Wales and Scotland have their own separate ones. Associate membership does not carry voting rights but will allow representatives of GB Boxing to hold offices within World Boxing. "It is vitally important to the future of the sport in the UK and across the globe that boxing remains part of the Olympic programme," said GB Boxing chair Jason Glover in a statement. "GB Boxing has played a significant role in helping to establish World Boxing and the decision to apply for associate membership is a sign of our long-term commitment to the new organisation and a desire on our behalf to play a part in its future development."

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Persons: Kingdom's, Jason Glover, Alan Baldwin, Ken Ferris Organizations: Boxing, Boxing Association, Olympic, IBA, IOC, Thomson Locations: Russian, England, Wales, Scotland, Germany, Britain, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Sweden, United States, Los