Boxing New Zealand welcomes IOC’s decision to terminate ‘corrupt … – Stuff

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New Zealand's David Nyika competes at the Tokyo Olympics, a competition overseen by the IOC.

The president of Boxing New Zealand has welcomed the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) stunning decision to terminate the Olympic status of the International Boxing Association (IBA), the sport's disgraced governing body.

After a series of scandals involving governance, finance, refereeing and ethics, the IBA was stripped of its involvement in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the qualification process for the next year's Paris Games.

Boxing was subsequently not included on the initial programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, putting the sport's long-term Olympic future in doubt.

The IOC appears to have finally lost patience with the IBA and its Russian president Umar Kremlev, with its 15-member executive board recommending withdrawing recognition of the beleaguered organisation at a special meeting on June 22.

In a statement, it said the IBA "has failed to fulfil the conditions set by the IOC ... for lifting the suspension of the IBA's recognition."

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

IBA President Umar Kremlev threatened "retaliatory measures" over the IOC's "purely political" decision.

That decision was music to the ears of Boxing New Zealand boss Steve Hartley, who has been an outspoken critic of the IBA and Kremlev, head of the organisation since 2020.

"The IBA has failed the sport of Olympic boxing and now there will be opportunity for the sport to be operated in a corruption free environment and in a competent manner," Hartley said in a statement.

New Zealand was one of four countries that was last month suspended by the IBA previously known as AIBA over its ties with the breakaway World Boxing organisation, launched in April with the goal of securing the sport's long-term future at the Games.

It followed an 11-nation boycott of the women's world championships in New Delhi, India in March and the men's tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, last month when Kremlev lifted a ban on Russian and Belarusian boxers competing under their flags in defiance of the IOC's guidance.

As a result of the suspension, Kiwi boxers competing at last month's Youth and Junior Men's and Women's Oceania Boxing Championships in Apia, Samoa were forced to turn their singlets inside out to hide the silver fern, which the IBA considered a symbol of the suspended national federation.

Hartley told insidethegames it was the "the worst insult the IBA could put on our country and the mana of our athletes" and suggested that Boxing New Zealand had no future in the governing body.

So he was understandably delighted after the IOC's ruling and called on national federations to get behind the recently formed World Boxing of which USA Boxing and SwissBoxing are the only two current members and its bid to preserve the sport's Olympic status.

"World Boxing is up and running with recognition in Swiss law and is well placed to lead boxing into the Olympic future," Hartley said.

"The main focus for Boxing New Zealand at present is assisting our athletes to work towards qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics and continue Boxing New Zealand's success at previous Olympic events.

"Boxing New Zealand chairman Keith Walker and myself will continue to support the World Boxing movement and the efforts to secure boxing for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles."

The IOC oversaw the boxing competitions itself in Tokyo and will do so again in Paris. With the IBA now out of the picture, boxing is expected to be restored to the programme in Los Angeles in five years' time.

However, Kremlev is not about to go quietly, labelling the IOC's decision "truly abhorrent and purely political" and threatening to take "retaliatory measures".

"Now, we are left with no chance but to demand a fair assessment from a competent court," Kremlev said in a statement.

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Boxing New Zealand welcomes IOC's decision to terminate 'corrupt ... - Stuff