CAS Rejects IBA’s Appeal To Organise Olympic Boxing

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday threw out an appeal from the International Boxing Association (IBA) after it was stripped of its rights to organise boxing events at the Paris Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee withdrew its recognition of boxing’s governing body, the IBA, last year due to longstanding concerns over governance issues.

In its ruling explaining the decision to dismiss the IBA appeal, the CAS panel said the organisation “had not increased its financial transparency and sustainability”.

CAS, which is sport’s highest court, also said “the IBA had not changed its process relating to referees and judges to ensure its integrity”, nor had it fully implemented other proposed reforms.

Instead, the IOC has put in place the Paris Boxing Unit to ensure qualification and hosting of the sport at the 2024 Paris Games.

Boxing has been part of every Olympics since 1920, but it only went ahead in the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics after the IOC stepped in to ensure the qualification criteria.

The IBA was suspended by the IOC in 2019 for multiple corruption scandals.

Its fall from grace coincides with the emergence of a new umbrella federation, World Boxing, which already counts the United States, which hosts the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, and Switzerland, as members.

At last year’s IOC session in Mumbai, it was announced that any decision regarding boxing’s presence on the 2028 Olympic programme was being “put on hold”.

AFP