The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday “restated its deepest concerns” on boxing’s place in the 2024 Paris Olympics, citing “unresolved” issues with the International Boxing Association’s governance structure, financial situation and the scoring system even as the AIBA promised to “exceed” the laid down criteria.
In a letter addressed to AIBA President Umar Kremlev, IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper said the Olympic body’s Executive Board has asked him and its Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer to “follow up” on the situation. The AIBA responded by saying that it is doing everything that that IOC expects from it.
“AIBA has been working on comprehensive reform for some time now and is grateful for the IOC’s public acknowledgment that a step forward has certainly been taken in terms of good governance...,” the AIBA stated in an e-mail to PTI, responding to the IOC letter. In the four-page communication, IOC expressed dissatisfaction with the work done by the AIBA to address concerns related to its governance, finances and the refereeing and judging system that has been under intense scrutiny since the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“On the basis of the above, the IOC Executive Board restated its deepest concerns and reiterated its previous position regarding the place of boxing in the programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and future editions of the Olympic Games,” the letter stated.
The AIBA said it would do more than what has been mandated to regain the IOC’s confidence.
“Wide-ranging reforms are already underway in terms of financial integrity, good governance and sporting integrity, including all the areas mentioned by the IOC and more,” the AIBA said.
“Independent experts are involved in each of these sectors. AIBA is confident these reforms will see AIBA meet and even exceed the criteria laid down by the IOC for reinstatement.” The IOC said while it acknowledges that AIBA has taken “a step forward in the direction of better governance” but several concerns remain unaddressed.