The International Boxing Association (IBA) has accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of ‘lack of transparency’ and ‘illegal’ conduct while also questioning its ‘transparency principles’. The IBA has threatened to take the IOC to court to resolve the issue. The IBA’s threat comes after the IOC invited boxing officials for the qualification process for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The IBA said in an open letter to IOC President Thomas Bach that the IOC was contacting its competition officials without informing him and without prior approval, in violation of a ‘data transfer agreement’ signed between the two parties in 2019. The root of the problem, however, is the ban imposed on the boxing body by the IOC due to concerns over its governance, financial transparency, stability and process integrity of referees and judges.
The IOC informed the IBA that it would organize its own boxing qualification tournament for the Paris Olympics, as it had done before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Indian Boxing Association (IBA) declared that the World Championship organized by the IBA in New Delhi will be the main qualification tournament for 2024 Paris, despite instructions from the IOC. The IBA said it has the right to take the IOC to court.
