Olympic knockout very realistic
Yerevan scandal throws boxing into deep chaos
09/26/2022, 12:04 p.m
The world boxing association IBA says no to new elections – the Russian Umar Kremlev remains president. The Olympic future of the traditional sport is more at stake than ever. A scandal breaks out in Armenia. There is little hope.
The IOC is “extremely concerned”, the German association fears “huge problems” – the scandal in Yerevan has thrown the troubled Olympic boxing even deeper into chaos. After the memorable events at the extraordinary congress of the world association IBA in Armenia, the traditional sport is more than ever before the Olympic knockout
Concerns about being finally eliminated from the program at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles “are great,” said Erich Dreke, President of the German Boxing Association (DBV): “It causes huge problems for all sports if they fly with the Olympic program. We will do everything we can to keep Olympic boxing.”
In two years in Paris there will still be boxing, but like most recently in Tokyo in 2021 under the leadership of the International Olympic Committee. The IBA (formerly AIBA) has been suspended from the IOC since 2019. It is quite likely that boxing for Olympic gold will be in Paris for the last time – a massive turning point for a sport that has been part of the Olympic program since 1904.
However, the concerns of the Olympic organizers did not diminish on Sunday. In a statement, the IOC was “extremely concerned” about the “troubling developments” at the Congress and announced a “full review” of the situation.
Can LA save boxing?
Kremlev (right) likes to surround himself with dark forces.
(Photo: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS)
At the core of the criticism is the Russian IBA President Umar Kremlev. Originally, the Dutchman Boris van der Vorst wanted to challenge him in an election. The problem: This didn’t even happen. After a 45-minute power failure, the IBA voted on new elections, almost 75 percent of the delegates voted against.
The vote not to hold an election, the fact that the recognized Ukrainian national boxing federation was suspended on flimsy grounds just before the IBA Congress, and the chaotic circumstances of the election process are problematic for the IOC. According to the IBA, Ukraine was excluded because of “government interference”.
German President Dreke criticized the “chaotic story” that “didn’t happen in the spirit of a democratic election”. His Swedish colleague Per-Axel Sjöholm spoke angrily of a “complete disaster”, while New Zealander Steve Hartley feared “Olympic suicide”.
Concerns about the future are great. This is mainly due to Kremlev, who saved the association economically with the help of the main sponsor Gazprom, but made it completely dependent on the Russian state company. “We don’t know how he’s behaving now and what goals he’s actually pursuing,” said Dreke: “You can’t assess him at the moment.”
Dreke is pinning his hopes on the organizers of LA 2028. “I know that the USA is pushing the IOC to keep boxing in the Olympic program at all costs,” he said. The organizers in the USA had identified boxing as one of the most important sports in terms of spectator popularity.