March 27, (THEWILL) – The International Boxing Association (IBA) has accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of misusing confidential information about its officials in the ongoing battle for control of Olympic boxing.
In an open letter to IOC chief Thomas Bach and executive board members, the IBA expressed “deep concerns” over the IOC’s governance, impartiality, and transparency during the monitoring process ahead of next year’s Paris Olympics.
THEWILL recalls that the IOC suspended the IBA in 2019 over issues related to governance, finance, refereeing, and ethics, and did not involve it in running the boxing events at the Tokyo Olympics. Now, the IOC plans to stage its own boxing qualifier for the Paris Games. The IBA claimed that the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit contacted its officials about volunteering at the Games and qualifiers without prior approval or communication.
This is in breach of a data transfer agreement signed in 2019. The IBA has, therefore, warned that it would seek legal redress against the IOC for breaching the agreement and illegitimately using its intellectual property. The IOC spokesperson said that the organisation would continue to monitor the IBA’s activities and decide on its recognition status in 2023.
The dispute between the IOC and the IBA further deteriorated following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when the amateur boxing governing body defied IOC guidance and lifted a ban on Russian and Belarusian boxers competing under their flags.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
