International Boxing Association expelled from Olympic Movement

The IBA is among the few global sporting entities that allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA) of its Olympic recognition. The IOC cited governance issues and financial irregularities in its ruling on Thursday, although the IBA has strongly denied the claims.

Sixty-nine nations voted in favor of the expulsion during a virtual extraordinary session of the IOC, with one member voting against and ten abstaining.

In a statement, the committee said it had based its decision on an IOC report on the IBA released earlier this month. According to the document, the boxing association had failed to fulfill the IOC’s conditions for lifting a suspension which were communicated to it back in 2021. The suspension itself dates back to 2019 and was imposed due to governance, finance, refereeing and ethical issues.

The IOC noted that boxing will remain part of the Paris 2024 Olympics, although committee representatives will oversee events instead of the IBA.

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The IBA, which is headed by Russian national Umar Kremlev and governs global amateur boxing, had filed an urgent appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an effort to avoid expulsion, but saw its bid rejected.

In its press release, the IBA described the IOC’s decision as a “tremendous error” and alleged that the move had revealed the international sporting body’s “true politicized nature.”

According to the IBA, the committee had “avoided direct communication with the IBA, disregarding the progress we have made.”

“It is evident to many that the IOC’s decision is not based on objective facts but on personal animosity and prejudice towards someone’s nationality,” the statement concluded.

In October of last year, the IBA overturned a ban on Russian and Belarusian boxers and became one of the few global sporting organizations to permit them to perform with their national flags and anthems.

At the time, the association cited its “obligation to ensure equal treatment towards the athletes and competition officials,” arguing that politics should not have any influence on sports.