Africa-Press – Kenya. The Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK) has lashed out at the International Olympic Committee for expelling the International Boxing Federation from the Olympic Movement.
In an exclusive interview on Friday, BFK communications director Dancun” Sugar Ray” Kuria faulted IOC, saying the decision was not in the best interest of the sport.
“I don’t support IOC. The decision they have taken is not in the best interest of the sport,” Kuria said.
“If the president of IOC has issues with the President of IBA — because this now seems personal — they should just sort it out.” His comments came moments after the IOC Extraordinary Session officially withdrew IBA’s recognition.
A total of 69 members at the IOC Session voted in favour of the organisation’s Executive Board’s recommendation to expel the beleaguered boxing body, with just one polling against it.
“It’s wrong to kick out boxing from the IOC family and then support another organisation to take over,” Kuria continued.
“The decision seems to be selfish but it’s my sincere hope it will not hurt the boxers. In my opinion, boxing has to be at the 2028 Olympic roaster as it’s one of the most popular events in the world,” he added.
The IBA, which is chaired by the Russian Umar Kremlev, denounced the decision in a statement earlier in the day, calling it “catastrophic for global boxing” and a “tremendous error.”
“It is noteworthy that on this very day, 82 years ago, fascist Germany launched an attack on the peaceful citizens of the Soviet Union, resulting in the escalation of war and a devastating human tragedy,” a statement from the IBA said.
“We cannot conceal the fact that today’s decision is catastrophic for global boxing and blatantly contradicts the IOC’s claims of acting in the best interests of boxing and athletes.”
The IOC, headed by German Thomas Bach, initially suspended the IBA in 2019 due to problems with its finances, governance, and the legitimacy of boxing contests. The IBA had sent a 400-page report to the IOC, saying that it had resolved such issues.
But Christophe De Kepper, the director general of the IOC, declared that the group had “reached the point of no return.” The boxing tournament was run by an IOC Boxing Task Force at the postponed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and it will be repeated in Paris in 2024.
Boxing was also left off the initial Los Angeles 2028 schedule, resulting in the formation of the rival group World Boxing, which the IBA has denounced as a “rogue” organisation. Kremlev has often blamed the organisation’s problems on previous President CK Wu, a former IOC Executive Board member who oversaw the governing body between 2006 and 2017.
Wu eventually received a lifetime ban for “gross negligence and financial mismanagement” from the IBA. However, the IOC, which he quit as a member in 2020 citing medical advice, has not punished Wu.
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