IOC urges affiliate bodies to cut ties with IBA or risk boxing’s exclusion from Olympics

In a decisive move aimed at reshaping the governance of Olympic boxing, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has instructed all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to sever all ties with National Boxing Federations still affiliated to the International Boxing Association.

This latest escalation, conveyed in a letter sent on 30 September, reflects the IOC’s growing concern over the governance of boxing and its continued inclusion in the Olympic Games.

The letter, signed by James MacLeod, the IOC’s Director of NOC Relations and Olympic Solidarity, together with Sport Director Kit McConnell and Legal Advisor Mariam Mahdavi, delivers a clear ultimatum to the NOCs to cut ties with the IBA or face the real possibility that boxing will no longer be included in future Olympic Games.

The letter underlines the growing urgency for Olympic boxing to align itself with a new, credible governing body if it hopes to remain on the Olympic stage.
The IOC by the letter is urging the NOCs to distance themselves from the IBA and essentially align themselves with the newly formed World Boxing Group, which is being positioned as the likely future governing body for the sport in the Olympics.

The IOC said it welcomes the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has dismissed the appeal filed with it by the International Boxing Association (IBA) against the IOC’s decision to withdraw recognition for IBA.

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