Knockout blow for scandal association
Boxing fights trembling for Olympic future
6/23/2023, 4:04 p.m
The amateur world association IBA received the final knockout from the IOC, but the Olympic future of boxing should be secured at least until 2028. The uncertainty is still great, with World Boxing, a new association is in the starting blocks. We answer the most important questions and answers about the future of amateur boxing.
Why was the IBA excluded?
The International Boxing Association has made mistakes for years. Under its controversial Russian President Umar Kremlev, there was a lack of “financial transparency” and “the integrity of the arbitration processes”. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had already suspended the IBA since 2019 – since no improvements were apparent, the exclusion followed at the IOC General Assembly on Thursday.
What does this mean for boxing at the Olympics?
A task force set up by the IOC organized the competitions in Tokyo 2021, and the same is planned for Paris 2024. The Olympic qualification is currently taking place at the European Games in Kraków. The Olympic future of the traditional sport should be secured until at least 2028, assured IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper. Boxing was actually dropped from the program in Los Angeles in 2028, the exact future is uncertain.
How does the German Boxing Association react to the IBA end?
The DBV will now discuss further steps and “explore the difficult situation in an extraordinary congress,” as President Jens Hadler told the SID. Overall, the DBV interprets the IBA exclusion in such a way that “the IOC will do everything to ensure that boxing remains Olympic in the long term”. It is still open whether the DBV will join the newly founded international association World Boxing – at least sports director Michael Müller had a hand in the founding. According to Hadler, World Boxing “could be one of several possible alternatives to keep boxing in the Olympic program.” The DBV is not yet an official member of World Boxing.
What is world boxing?
In the fight for the Olympic future, several national federations set up World Boxing in mid-April. The new association should “ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.” Recognition by the IOC is still pending. The new association is “properly registered and fully operational in Switzerland,” said DBV sports director Müller in May. All 205 international associations have already received the documents for entry. The Dutch and US associations are the pioneers in the new association.