World boxing in turmoil: As feud continues between IOC and IBA, the sport’s Olympic future remains in doubt

Olympic boxing is being battered by infighting.

The conflict between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the supreme body that runs world sports, and the International Boxing Association (IBA) led by Russian Umar Kremlev, has put the future of the world’s boxers at a high risk.

The IOC has stated that it cannot organize boxing events at the Olympics level anymore as it did in 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics through a task force. It said there is a need of a credible international boxing federation if boxing should remain a part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

And its recent letter to the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) has further complicated the issue. IOC wants NOCs around the world to cease working relationships with their respective national federations who are attached with IBA which was disowned by the IOC last year.

IBA went to Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) against the IOC’s session decision to withdraw IBA’s recognition but its appeal was rejected.

The relations between IBA and IOC have been strained for the last few years due to failure of the world boxing governing body to adhere to transparency in governance, finance, ethics, refereeing and judging.

Besides this IBA also invited IOC’s wrath for suspending Ukraine in September 2022 over alleged state interference in the affairs of its (Ukraine’s) boxing federation.

In June 2022, IOC issued a roadmap, carrying matters relating to financial transparency and refereeing and judging. The world body said if IBA follows the roadmap then suspension could be lifted by early 2023.

IBA’s partnership with its key sponsor Gazprom, a Russian state-owned oil company, was also an issue of great concerns for the IOC. This company faces sanctions from both US and United Kingdom.

IBA’s chief Umar Kremlev was re-elected unopposed in May 2022 in a controversial manner. His opponent Boris Van der Vorst, the Dutch Boxing Federation chief, was declared ineligible. The international sports arbitration court (CAS) ruled a month later that Boris was wrongly kept away of the electoral process. This added to IBA’s self-inflicted miseries.

“Boxing is not on the Olympics sport programme for the 2028 LA Olympics. In order to remedy this IOC needs a partner International Federation for boxing by early 2025,” an IOC letter it wrote to NOCs around the world said.

“As you may be aware a new International Federation has recently emerged but as things stand has yet to be recognized by the IOC,” it added.

“The IOC has made it clear that it cannot organize such Olympic boxing competitions. In order to remedy this Olympic boxing needs to be organized by a credible, well-governed International Federation. It is therefore clear that any boxer whose national federation adheres to IBA will not be eligible to participate in the Los Angeles Olympics. The respective NOC will have to exclude such a national federation from its membership,” the letter said.

Imane Khelif of Algeria in action with Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary during Paris Olympics 2024.Reuters

Meanwhile IBA wrote to its affiliated national federations on October 7 and alleged that IOC has violated the Swiss anti-trust court laws by forcing the NOCs to expel those federations who are affiliated with IBA.

“Our national federations have faced unprecedented direct pressure from the side of their NOCs and ministries of sports due to the recent statements of the IOC. Hereby we invite our National Federations to join IBA in its legal actions against the IOC in the competent Swiss bodies. Together we will have more chances to stop the IOC and the pressure from the NOCs,” IBA wrote.

Nukta understands that going against the IOC would not be possible for the NOCs as well as national boxing federations around the world.

World Boxing, which seems to have IOC’s support, is seen to emerge as a force but complications still abound. This correspondent has learnt that national boxing federations are still in a predicament and don’t know where to go.

“The situation is complicated and we will take an appropriate step which would be in the best interest of the sport,” a source in Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) told this correspondent.