Umar Kremlev remains President of the International Boxing Association (IBA) for another four years. At the Extraordinary Congress in Yerevan, Armenia, nearly 75 percent of delegates voted against new elections, leaving the Russian in office.
The 39-year-old has been President of the IBA since 2020 and is considered a close confidant of his predecessor Gafur Rachimov (Uzbekistan), who was forced to resign due to allegations of corruption.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed “extreme concern” in the industry service “Inside the Games”. “This includes, among other issues, the fact that there was no election, just a vote not to vote,” the IOC said. Dutchman Boris van der Vorst actually wanted to challenge Kremlev.
At the IOC, doubts about the renewal of the association should not have diminished. Boxing’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games program is more questionable than ever. For the games in Paris 2024, the IOC has already withdrawn the IBA from hosting the boxing tournament.
Ukraine suspended
In the run-up to the vote, the provisional suspension of Ukraine had caused unrest. As the IBA announced, this was due to state interference in the work of the national association. In a letter from Kyiv, the Ukrainian association reacted with outrage to the measure and called on all IBA member associations to refuse the congressional approval required for the suspension according to the statutes.
The IBA stressed that the suspension will not affect Ukrainian athletes. These should continue to be able to take part in competitions and be supported by the world association. For this purpose, IBA Vice President Volodymyr Prodywus (Ukraine) was appointed as coordinator.
The Ukrainian association wrote in its letter that it had learned about its suspension from the media. He was not given the opportunity to comment on the allegations before the board. “We are convinced that the suspension is just an attempt to silence the Ukrainian boxing community,” wrote federation president Kyrylo Shevchenko. At the same time, he objected to Prodywus being appointed as coordinator by the board. “This is appalling and unacceptable,” he wrote. And further: “How can he coordinate Ukrainian boxers if he fled Ukraine seven months ago?”