AIBA: Progress to Keep Boxing in 2020 Olympics

The International Boxing Association (AIBA), amateur boxing’s governing body, says that it is cooperating and taking steps to ensure it will be a part of next year’s Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

The AIBA is being investigated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who is studying the “governance, ethics and financial management” of the AIBA closely. Back in November, AIBA elected Gafur Rakhimov, a controversial Uzbek businessman the US Treasury Department claims is linked to organized crime, as president. Rakhimov denies the accusations.

The IOC froze preparations for boxing in the 2020 Olympic Games, warning AIBA could be stripped of its right to oversee the competition.

The two sides have yet to meet face-to-face.

“There is no meeting planned with the IOC up to now,” AIBA executive director Tom Virgets said. “AIBA is preparing documents to present that will address the additional advances that we have made on every question and area that the IOC has asked us to report on. AIBA is transparent, and wants to be an open book. We have nothing to hide!

“We anticipate that the IOC’s concerns will centre on how AIBA is progressing in all of the areas they focused upon in the past, and I am confident that we will be able to show continued improvements in all areas.”

A spokeswoman from the IOC says “once all the documents and responses we have from AIBA have been studied,” the organization will meet with AIBA.

Relations between the two parties were damaged after the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where 36 officials and referees were suspended for allegations of match fixing. The IOC stated it still wanted to hold boxing at the games, but warned AIBA of possible “withdrawal of (its) recognition.”

The IOC assured it would make “all efforts to protect the athletes and ensure that a boxing tournament can take place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 regardless of these measures.”

Original Story: Boxing Scene