Olympic committee withdraws recognition from International Boxing Association

In a significant blow to the International Boxing Association (IBA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday that it would no longer recognise the IBA as the global governing body for the sport. This decision was made due to the IBA's failure to fulfil necessary reforms regarding governance, finance, and ethical matters.

During an online extraordinary session held on Thursday, the IOC unanimously approved the executive board's recommendation to withdraw recognition from the IBA, with 69 votes in favour and only one against.

The IBA, expressing its disagreement with the decision, attempted to block it by urgently appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the highest court in the realm of sports. However, their appeal was rejected on Tuesday, leaving the IOC's decision intact.

The IOC had previously suspended the IBA in 2019 due to concerns regarding governance, finance, refereeing, and ethical issues. As a consequence, the IBA was not involved in the organisation of boxing events at the Tokyo Olympics.

While boxing remains part of the Paris 2024 Olympics, the qualification bouts and overall competition are being overseen by the IOC instead of the IBA, as was the case in the 2021 Tokyo Games.

The IBA faced additional complications, such as the termination of a sponsorship deal with Russian energy giant Gazprom following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. These factors contributed to the IBA's precarious position. The organisation is led by Russian businessman Umar Kremlev.

In response to the IOC's decision, the IBA released a statement expressing its belief that the IOC made a significant mistake, suggesting that the decision was politically motivated. The IBA claimed to have successfully implemented all recommendations outlined by the IOC in its roadmap and emphasised its commitment to the development of boxing, the preservation of its independence, and the organisation of official tournaments and World Boxing Championships at the highest level. The IBA also asserted its legal right to continue its activities and expressed willingness to defend itself before any appropriate authority.

While the IOC frequently adds or removes sports from the Olympic Games program to appeal to younger audiences, it is uncommon for the committee to strip an international sports federation of its recognition.

The IBA's actions have led to the establishment of a breakaway group called World Boxing, with several countries opting to join the new organisation. World Boxing issued a statement recognising the significance of the moment for the sport and urging all national boxing federations to consider joining and supporting their efforts to ensure that boxing remains at the core of the Olympic movement.

This turn of events marks a crucial juncture for the future of boxing, with national federations facing an important decision on how they want their country's boxers to participate in future Olympic Games, including the upcoming Los Angeles Games and beyond.