IBA may appeal after CAS upholds IOC decision to withdraw recognition
LAUSANNE: The International Boxing Association (IBA) said on Wednesday it is analysing a decision by global sport’s top court to dismiss its appeal against the withdrawal of its Olympic recognition and it may take the case to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided in June to strip the IBA of recognition over its failure to complete reforms on governance, finance and ethical issues.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the IBA’s appeal on Tuesday.
The IBA said in a press release on Wednesday that it had made considerable progress in the areas mentioned by CAS, and that the court and the IOC had overlooked its extensive reforms.
“The IBA will refrain from further comments until the CAS award has been thoroughly analysed by its legal experts which is taking place right now to draw a conclusion whether the organisation appeals to the Swiss Federal Tribunal,” it added.
The IOC said it welcomed the decision by CAS and it was now up to the national boxing federations and national Olympic committees (NOCs) to find a partner international federation by next year at the latest to keep the sport in the Olympics.
“To keep boxing on the Olympic programme, the IOC needs a recognised and reliable International Federation as a partner, as with all the other Olympic sports,” it said in a statement.
The boxing tournaments at the Paris Games this summer are being organised by the IOC but the Olympic body has repeatedly said it could not continue doing that.
“The NOCs and national boxing federations thus hold the future of Olympic boxing in their own hands, and the required actions cannot be clearer,” the IOC said.
“At the moment, boxing is not on the sports programme for the Olympic Games LA28. In order to remedy this, the IOC needs to have a partner International Federation for boxing by early 2025.”
Rival body World Boxing, who last month said it will seek recognition from Olympic organisers to replace the IBA and keep the sport on the programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, claimed they should be the new federation the IOC partners with.
World Boxing added that any NOC that thinks their boxers have a future at the Olympics without joining their federation would be making a “grave error”.
“For boxing to lose its place at the Olympic Games would be devastating for boxers at all levels in every part of the world,” World Boxing said.
“This is an urgent situation and the clock is ticking. The leaders of boxing’s national federations now have a critically important decision to make.
“We urge every one of them that cares about boxers and the future of the sport to apply to join and support World Boxing in its efforts to ensure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement, before it is too late.”
Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2024