Boxing’s World Governing Body Opposes IOC Move to Deny Recognizance as ‘Truly Abhorrent’ and ‘Purely Political’

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board’s decision to revoke IBA’s registration due to failure to address governance concerns has been rejected by the International Boxing Association (IBA) as “truly abhorrent” and “purely political.”

The IBA claimed that the IOC EB mainly disregarded and failed to take into account all the efforts made by the IBA and its democratically chosen leadership over the previous two years to conduct international boxing.

“The recommendation of the IOC EB does not reflect the reality of the situation where extraordinary progress on reforms and internationally recognized standards of good governance have been implemented under the guidance and supervision of Professor Dr. Ulrich Haas’ Governance Reform Group and backed up by comprehensive investigations of the past conducted by Professor Richard McLaren’s team,” the IBA said in a statement posted on its official website.

The statement said, “Boxers and stakeholders at the heart of the sport throughout the world have commended the organization on these positive steps.”

The International Boxing Association (IBA) should no longer be recognized, the IOC Executive Board (EB) had proposed to the IOC Session on Wednesday.

The IOC suspended the IBA in 2019 due to issues with governance, financial mismanagement, and allegations of irregularities in refereeing and judging at the Olympics, and the IOC stated in a media release that Wednesday’s recommendation was made in accordance with Rule 3.7 of the Olympic Charter (OC).

The IOC EB and IOC President have called an Extraordinary IOC Session for Thursday, June 22, 2023 to consider the issue and make a decision.

The IBA, however, vowed to take revenge on the IOC and vowed never to accept that it does not adhere to the rules of good administration.

“The IBA, which is the governing body for boxing, retains the right to retaliate since, in its present form, the organization will never accept the claim that it does not adhere to the principles of good governance or that it is unworthy of membership in the Olympic movement.

Additionally, the IBA issued a statement in which it vehemently refuted any claims that it had harmed the Olympic movement’s image, saying that it had honored and implemented the IOC’s recommendations instead.

IBA President Umar Kremlev said, “We committed to and accomplished a shift in the poisonous and corrupt culture that was allowed to develop under the IOC for far too long from a disreputable organization dubbed AIBA managed by someone from the IOC’s high echelon.

There is just one organization that has no interest in acknowledging our enormous accomplishments, he added, adding that we have made the International Boxing Association fresh, transparent, and clean. International independent experts have also officially praised our successes.

He said, “For the last four years, the IBA has not had a single chance to demonstrate its accomplishments to the IOC in person, instead just exchanging letters and emails. We complied with the procedure and the regulations, but ultimately our evaluation was unfair. Now, our only option is to request a fair evaluation from a competent judge.

It is now a litmus test to determine the amount of indifference inside IFs and the Olympic movement, he said, making the IBA’s case a “watershed moment for all international federations.”

“Strong, independent, and financially self-sufficient IFs should be acutely aware and concerned as they observe the tried-and-true political and strategic tool of staged coups for the purpose of regime change, leaving only one winner, the organization seeking absolute power, and many losers consisting primarily of the athletes. Everyone should be worried about the unrestrained authority of the body that has no boundaries as this is happening to IBA today and setting a precedent for others, according to Kremlev.

IBA CEO and Secretary General George Yerolimpos said that the IBA has completed the effort required to recover its standing. “We have repeatedly asked for the chance to meet and talk about the issues, but to no effect. A request to meet with the IBA Adhoc Communication Committee, which is made up of representatives from all continents and the five IBA Confederation Presidents to ensure balanced representation, was turned down for reasons that can only be interpreted as blocking the chance for frank discussion between our two organizations, the official said.

“If the IOC decides to revoke IBA’s recognition, it must do so in accordance with the Olympic Charter. The IBA asked the IOC to specify which provision of the Olympic Charter, the World Anti-Doping Code, the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of Manipulation of Competitions, any other IOC decision, or any other applicable regulation had been broken by the IBA in April of this year, but the IOC made no response. Additionally, the IOC did not cite any provision of the aforementioned statute as a justification for revoking the IBA’s full recognition, according to the IBA statement.

The statement said that the IBA would promptly advise its members of its next moves.

With several elite nations leaving the IBA and joining a competing organization, World Boxing, the IBA is already facing another threat. The United States, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland are among the members of IBA that have resigned.