The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by the International Boxing Association (IBA) against the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) withdrawing recognition of the IBA as the international federation for the sport of boxing.
The CAS verdict that effectively counted out IBA from having control and supervision over the 2024 Paris Olympics boxing competition and other international events was handed down from the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland last Tuesday.
The development could pave the way for the full emergence of World Boxing (WB), of which Ricky Vargas, chairman of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP), is a member of the executive board, as the duly IOC-recognized international federation for boxing.
“World Boxing welcomes the decision by CAS to revoke the recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the subsequent comments made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stating that it wishes to work with a new International Federation,” WB said in a statement.
“This is the last remaining hope for the sport to maintain its Olympic status beyond Paris 2024. There is no alternative.”
Vargas, founding president of ABAP, is encouraging other national federations to register with World Boxing, to which ABAP has aligned with from the start.
“The CAS and IOC have spoken — a new international federation that conforms to the ideals and goals of IOC is needed to fill the void and make sure boxing remains with the Olympics from Paris onward,” Vargas said.
“ABAP has foreseen this development and firmly believes in the capability and integrity of World Boxing to accomplish the task of running international boxing according to IOC standards — competently, fairly and inclusively. A rare opportunity to put order back in chaos has been presented. All national boxing federations ought to seize the moment.”
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 aside from the Philippines.
At last year’s IOC session in Mumbai, it was announced that any decision regarding boxing’s presence on the 2028 Olympic program was being “put on hold.”
WITH AFP
