IBA announces date for Congress after IOC expulsion
The International Boxing Association (IBA) has announced a date for the organisation’s Ordinary Congress, which is set to be its first meeting of National Federations (NFs) since its expulsion from the Olympic Movement in June.
The Ordinary Congress is due to be held on December 9 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in a hybrid format, with invitations sent to NFs to join the meeting either in-person or virtually.
The Global Boxing Forum and the IBA Champions’ Night are set to be held alongside the Ordinary Congress.
This month’s Champions’ Night is due to be held in Phuket, Thailand, with boxers set to participate in “pro-style boxing fights” featuring five two-minute rounds for female bouts and five three-minute rounds for male bouts.
“As we convene for the IBA Ordinary Congress in Dubai this December, our commitment remains unwavering to the development of boxing worldwide and the unity of our boxing family,” IBA President Umar Kremlev said.
Last year’s Ordinary Congress saw Kremlev announce plans to renew a sponsorship deal with Russian energy company, Gazprom, despite the IOC’s concerns around the IBA’s “financial dependency” on the deal.
NFs have until October 9 to propose items for discussion at the Ordinary Congress, with the final agenda for the meeting to be published no later than one month before it is due to be held.
The Congress is due to elect one woman to the IBA Board of Directors to represent the American Boxing Confederation.
The announcement of the date and venue for the Ordinary Congress comes as Kremlev described some International Olympic Committee officials as “like prostitutes in sports, who get involved in politics and do not defend the interests of the athletes” during a visit to Nicaragua.
It also comes as World Boxing, a governing body set up as a rival to the IBA, announced its first six official members – USA Boxing, New Zealand Boxing, Boxing Australia, GB Boxing, England Boxing and the Dutch Boxing Federation.
World Boxing, which has been dismissed by the IBA as “a rogue organisation”, is due to hold its first Congress in November. —Insidethegames.biz
