The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has voted to remove the International Boxing Association (IBA) as the world governing body for the sport.
The IOC’s executive board had recommended the move due to the IBA’s failure to meet required reforms following its 2019 suspension over governance and corruption issues.
The decision to withdraw recognition from the IBA was approved by 69 votes to one during the IOC’s online session.
The IBA had attempted to block the decision through an urgent appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which was rejected. The IOC had previously suspended the IBA in 2019 and did not involve it in the organization of boxing events at the Tokyo Olympics. The qualification bouts and competition for boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympics will also be run by the IOC and not the IBA.
Issues such as the termination of a sponsorship deal with Russian energy company Gazprom, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, further complicated the IBA’s position. The IBA expressed its disagreement with the IOC’s decision, calling it a “tremendous error” and stating that it had implemented all recommendations outlined by the IOC.
The creation of a breakaway group called World Boxing has emerged as a result of the IBA’s actions, and several countries, including New Zealand, have joined the new organization. World Boxing emphasized the significance of the moment for the sport and called on national boxing federations to support its efforts to ensure boxing remains a part of the Olympic movement.
