GENEVA ( Associated Press) — With doubts over boxing’s status at the Olympics, the IOC on Saturday was unimpressed by the leadership election of the sport’s governing body, which was stripped of recognition in 2019.
Members of the International Boxing Association re-elected their Russian president, Omar Kremlev, two days after the only other candidate was removed from the Netherlands. by an independent investigative panel.
“Events surrounding the IBA’s General Assembly, particularly the election, deserve careful analysis and are reinforcing questions and doubts surrounding the IBA’s governance,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement.
Saturday’s vote marked the third presidential election in less than four years where boxing officials around the world chose a winner in defiance of the IOC’s advice.,
The IOC has for many years expressed concern about the integrity of the IBA’s management and finances, and has expressed concerns about a potentially unfair decision of the bouts at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics under previous leadership.
The Olympic body pulled out the IBA from helping organize boxing at the Tokyo Games last year, dropping it from the sport’s opening slate For the 2028 edition in Los Angeles.
Without a share of Olympic revenue from Tokyo, Kremlev has sought support in boxing to pay off the IBA’s millions of dollars in debt, although this appears to be from a Russian source.
“The various concerns of the IOC, including financial dependence on the state-owned company Gazprom, are still not resolved,” the IOC said.
Boxing is to take place at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the IOC last week warned IBA members to be concerned about a proposed qualifying path for hundreds of boxers.
The IOC said its executive board would “receive an update on the latest developments in the IBA” at a two-day meeting next week.
Boris van der Vorsta, the intended election rival of the Kremlev An appeal has been filed in the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the ban from the election. He also faced complaints about prohibited collaboration with candidates for other IBA positions.
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