Boxing to be dropped from Olympics
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday June 17, 2023 06:00
The final decision will be rubber-stamped during the IOC extraordinary session to be held next week Thursday.
The IOC said in a statement that the decision is based on the IOC's comprehensive report on the situation of the IBA dated June 2, 2023, which the IOC executive board discussed and approved.
The report establishes that the IBA has failed to fulfil the conditions set by the IOC in its decision communicated to the IBA on December 9, 2021, which was not challenged by the IBA, for lifting the suspension of the IBA’s recognition. In the preparation of this report, the IBA was granted the right to be heard and to provide any information it deemed relevant.
The IOC executive board also recommended to the IOC session, that boxing remains part of the Paris 2024 programme. “In the interest of the boxing athletes and the sport of boxing, to maintain boxing on the sports programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, in accordance with the IOC executive board’s decisions communicated on June 24, 2022, September 8, 2022, and December 6, 2022.'
The Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) president, Colonel Botsang Tshenyego told Mmegi Sport that boxing is one of the priority sports and has been a permanent feature in the Olympics programme. “It is unfortunate that boxing and IOC have fundamental differences but we hope that in the long-term, they will be able to overcome those differences and get boxing back.
At the moment it is not looking good and it will be a big loss to us,” Tshenyego said. He said they had high expectations from boxing and it is one of the sporting codes that is consistently performing. Tshenyego said the decision will be a big blow to athletes who have taken boxing as a career. Boxing was suspended on June 26, 2019, upon the IOC executive board’s recommendation.
“Such a decision noted that, although there were sufficient grounds to withdraw IBA recognition, for the protection of boxing athletes and the maintenance of boxing as a sport at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the IOC session was willing to provide IBA with an exceptional opportunity to restore its full compliance with OC Rule 25 and the IOC Code of Ethics,” the statement reads.
Boxing is part of the Paris 2024 Olympics but the qualification bouts and the competition are being run by the IOC and not the IBA, as was the case in Tokyo. Meanwhile, IBA will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the IOC decision.