The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has increased the pressure on the world boxing association IBA and threatened to cancel the boxing competitions at the next summer games. The association will take into account the latest developments in its further decisions, which “possibly also include the cancellation of boxing for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris,” said a spokesman on dpa request.
Both associations have been at odds for many years. The IOC does not like the decisions of the world association IBA, which is led by the Russian Umar Kremlev. Among other things, the umbrella organization complains about the leadership of the association, a lack of financial transparency and the dependence on the Russian company and IBA sponsor Gazprom, which is controlled by the Russian government around President Vladimir Putin.
“The most recent IBA Congress has shown once again that the IBA has no real interest in boxing and boxers, but is only interested in its own power,” the otherwise diplomatic IOC said with unusual sharpness. There is no other way to understand the decision to “keep the boxers away from the Olympic qualifications and the Olympic Games”. The IBA had recently repeatedly defended itself against the criticism.
Earlier this month, the IOC confirmed that boxing is not currently included in the Olympic program for the Los Angeles 2028 games. Numerous national associations therefore want to found a new world boxing association and secure the Olympic future of boxing. As in Tokyo, the IOC will organize the upcoming competitions independently, since the IBA has been suspended since 2019.
The German Boxing Association supports the approach of the Olympic makers. “The IOC has shown a great deal of patience in the past. But the announcement by the IBA to extend the contract with the Russian main sponsor Gazprom does not allow for any other means,” said Michael Müller, Secretary General and Sports Director, and indicated that he wanted to join any new association: “The German association will do the same make sure that we secure an Olympic future for our athletes.”
Boxing has been in the program since 1904, i.e. for 118 years. The games produced a number of Olympic champions who later went on to have great careers in professional sports: including Muhammad Ali, Henry Maske and Wladimir Klitschko.
