International Boxing Association makes fascism comparison over Olympic expulsion
The International Boxing Association has issued a remarkable statement which references "fascist Germany" after the organisation was stripped of its status by the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC called a vote after the IBA failed to comply with reforms following its 2019 suspension over governance issues and alleged corruption. In a vote on Thursday, 69 of 70 members voted to strip the IBA of its status as boxing’s world governing body.
The move followed the establishment of World Boxing, a breakaway governing body, in April. Meanwhile, boxing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was organised by the IOC due to questions over the standard of the IBA’s finance, governance, ethics, refereeing and judging.
The decision has been met with fury by the IBA, which issued a lengthy statement that heavily criticises the IOC. The extraordinary statement read: “The IOC has made a tremendous error by withdrawing its recognition of the IBA, revealing its true politicized nature.
“It is noteworthy that on this very day, 82 years ago, fascist Germany launched an attack on the peaceful citizens of the Soviet Union, resulting in the escalation of war and a devastating human tragedy.
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“We cannot conceal the fact that today’s decision is catastrophic for global boxing and blatantly contradicts the IOC’s claims of acting in the best interests of boxing and athletes.”
The statement adds that the IBA has “successfully implemented all recommendations outlined by the IOC in its roadmap”. Among other things, it claims to have “resolved the accumulated debts from the previous management, enhanced the sporting integrity by improving judging and refereeing, and renewed the board of directors”.
Umar Kremlev is president of the International Boxing Association (Sonu Mehta/Getty Images)The IBA points the finger at Wu Ching-kuo, who was president of the organisation from 2006 to 2017. The statement ends by asking the IOC to address several questions.
IOC president Thomas Bach said: "We do not have a problem with boxing. We do not have a problem with boxers. The boxers fully deserve to be governed by an international federation with integrity and transparency."
World Boxing said it "welcomed" the IOC's announcement to strip the IBA of its status, adding that it was a "hugely significant moment for the sport". "World Boxing understands that being part of the Olympic Games is a privilege and not a right," the statement added.
"It is committed to working constructively and collaboratively with the IOC and all other stakeholders to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing's long-term place on the Olympic programme."
The IOC will oversee boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while despite being left off the initial programme for Los Angeles 2028, IOC director general Christophe de Kepper said he "guarantees" boxing will be on the programme in five years' time.
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