How can IOC not involve us in qualifying for 2024 Olympics, asks International Boxing Association

Vinayak Padmadeo

New Delhi, November 9

It is clear that there is no love lost between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Boxing Association (IBA), which was formerly known as AIBA. Ever since AIBA was suspended in May 2019 over governance and refereeing standards, the two bodies have had a frosty relationship. With Russia’s Umar Kremlev taking over the mantle and trying to make the sport more transparent, there was hope. The IOC, though, has not shown any inclination to reinstate the boxing body into the IOC fold.

Instead, the IOC announced in September a new qualification pathway for the 2024 Olympics, and it doesn’t involve the IBA. “After deciding last June that the boxing qualifying events and competitions for Paris 2024 would not be run under the authority of the IBA, the IOC EB was presented with an additional qualification model, which was approved during its meeting in Lausanne,” the IOC had said.

As per the IOC, alternative arrangements for qualification will be made during the boxing competitions at all the various continental games, to be held next year. Two world qualification tournaments will also be held in 2024.

“The IBA has accomplished 100 per cent of the recommendations by the IOC. The new body is a transparent and honest organisation and we continue to stick to those recommendations,” IBA president Kremlev said.

Who will participate?

However, IBA secretary general George Yerolimpos was more forthcoming and questioned the IOC decision of keeping the IBA out.

“How will they select the athletes for participation? They need to follow our rankings and they will have to use our system,” Yerolimpos said.

The Greek sports administrator, who only recently took over, added that the delays will hurt the athletes.

“We are waiting for the announcement but they cannot do it without our athletes, tech support of referees and judges,” he said. “We want clarity on how the athletes will participate in the qualification system. We are about to enter 2023 and nobody knows what will happen,” he added.

Yerolimpos said the IBA does not want to fight the IOC. “We are doing it for our athletes. Of course the problem exists… We do not understand why the IOC is not satisfied. We did everything they asked us. We are ready to take more steps to improve,” he said.

Chips in gloves: Boxing to get tech-savvy

The International Boxing Association (IBA) is betting big on technology to cut down on refereeing errors that have dogged the sport for long. Starting with next year’s Women’s World Championships, to be held in India, the IBA will introduce a video review system. Four cameras will be put in the ring to monitor all the decisions. An evaluator will oversee the entire process and have the power to change the points awarded during a bout. “The evaluator will see how the referees have scored every point,” IBA secretary general George Yerolimpos said.

By 2024, the IBA will start using microchips in the gloves and mouth guards of the boxers. The chips will be synced and tell whether a punch has landed. “We started a project based on smart gloves. This will be very important because not only will it show the contact, it will also help the doctors decide whether the athlete can continue or not. It will be operational by 2024,” Yerolimpos said.

India to host 2023 women’s Worlds

India will host the Women’s World boxing Championships in 2023 in New Delhi, two years after the country was stripped of the hosting rights of the men’s event for not paying the requisite fee to the global governing body.