The World Boxing Association (Iba) reacted to the impending exclusion from the Olympic movement with harsh words, a declaration of war and a warning to other world sports associations.
The IOC executive’s recommendation to withdraw recognition from the Iba was “disgusting” and “purely political,” it said in a statement. The governing body of the International Olympic Committee largely ignored and disregarded all the efforts of the Iba and its democratically elected leadership.
The IOC executive had recommended withdrawing recognition from the Iba. A decision on this is to be made at an extraordinary session scheduled for June 22nd.
The executive justified its recommendation by saying that since its suspension in 2019, the Iba has not been able to “address to the satisfaction of the IOC persistent concerns about its governance, financial transparency and sustainability, and the integrity of its judging and scoring processes”.
Iba denies the allegation
The Iba denies the allegation that it has endangered the reputation of the Olympic movement. “IBA, as the home of boxing, reserves the right to take retaliatory action as the organization in its current state will never acknowledge any allegation that IBA does not meet standards of good governance or that IBA has lost its place in the Olympic movement didn’t deserve,” wrote the world association.
Controversial Russian IBA President Umar Kremlev accused the IOC of having “no interest in acknowledging our tremendous progress”. And further: “Now we have no choice but to demand a fair assessment from a competent court.”
Kremlev, who has headed the association since 2020, also warned other world associations that they were “witnessing the proven political and strategic tool of the orchestrated coup for the purpose of regime change”.
The IOC is “the organization that strives for absolute power”. What is happening to the Iba “is setting a precedent for others that everyone should be concerned about the organization’s uncontrolled power that knows no bounds.”