IBA files complaint against breakaway body
Britain’s Lauren Price in action against China’s Li Qian in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics women's middleweight final at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Japan on August 8, 2021. PHOTO: FILE/ Ueslei Marcelino/ REUTERS
The International Boxing Association (IBA) has filed an official complaint to the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit against the individuals and entities involved in the creation of a new world boxing federation, it said on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, a group including the United States and Britain announced a new world boxing federation in a breakaway aimed at securing the troubled sport's Olympic future.
Leaders of Swiss-registered World Boxing said they would seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee.
The Russian-led IBA, which was suspended by the IOC in 2019, has denounced the move. "Following the announcement of the establishment of the rogue international boxing organisation, the IBA has initiated a series of actions that are designed to provide absolute clarity to all boxing stakeholders regarding the autonomy of the IBA as the global governing body of boxing," the IBA said.
"The IBA strongly condemns the efforts of individuals to damage the significant strides taken by the IBA over the last few years to secure boxers' the best future possible.
"Individuals and entities found guilty by the BIIU will face consequences according to the IBA Constitution, Disciplinary and Ethics Code and other key documents concerned." A spokesperson for World Boxing told Reuters that the entity has been established under the Article 23 of the Swiss Constitution, which guarantees the citizens' right to freedom of association.
"World Boxing is focused on putting boxers first and ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement," the statement sent to Reuters added.
Boxing's place in the Olympics after next year's Paris Games remains uncertain, with the sport not on the initial programme for Los Angeles 2028, pending reforms demanded by the IOC.
The IBA -- suspended over governance, finance, refereeing and ethical issues -- was stripped of involvement in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the qualifiers for Paris 2024.
Boxing has been a part of every Olympics since 1904, with the exception of Stockholm 1912 because the sport was banned in Sweden at the time. Women's boxing was added in 2012.