International Boxing Association stripped of its recognition by IOC

IOC withdrew recognition of the International Boxing Association as the global body for the sport

Lausanne: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday withdrew recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) as the global body for the sport during an extraordinary IOC Session.

The Executive Board (EB) of the IOC last month had recommended to the IOC Session to withdraw recognition of the IBA as the sports body has failed to fulfill the conditions set by the IOC for lifting the suspension of the IBA’s recognition.

---

And during the IOC’s Extraordinary Session, held online on Thursday, the executive board’s recommendation was ratified.

“The IOC Session, meeting remotely, has withdrawn the recognition of International Boxing Association (IBA), upon the recommendation of the IOC Executive Board (EB),” IOC said in a statement.

“Decision is based on the IOC Comprehensive Report on the Situation of the IBA, discussed by the IOC EB on 7 June,” it added.

The IOC initially suspended IBA — then called AIBA — in 2019 over its judging and refereeing, financial stability and governance and other issues. This led to IOC administering boxing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 directly and is managing the qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics as well.

Throughout its 129-year history, the IOC has never banned any international governing body from overseeing a sport.