Association chooses not to vote
Boxers are again a concern at the IOC
09/25/2022 3:04 p.m
The international boxing federation ensures that boxing has to tremble for its future in the Olympic program. The IBA struggles with corruption problems, but at the same time ensures a high level of continuity in terms of problematic developments.
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, allowing Kremlev to remain 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, who had 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 For the games in Paris 2024, the IOC has already withdrawn the IBA from hosting the boxing tournament.
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. The Ukrainian federation reacted with outrage to the measure in a letter from Kyiv on Saturday and called on all IBA member federations to refuse the consent of Congress required for the suspension according to the statutes.
Ukrainian association remains suspended
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?”