Nyika’s Olympic dream in jeopardy
Kiwi heavyweight boxer David Nyika’s dream of fighting at an Olympic Games is in jeopardy.
Boxing could lose its place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics amid International Olympic Committee (IOC) concerns over the governance of amateur boxing’s world governing body, AIBA.
Nyika, 22, said in December he wanted to compete in Tokyo after his aspirations for the last Olympics in Rio in 2016 were dashed after defeats in qualifying.
IOC president Thomas Bach said in Pyeongchang on Sunday the IOC was ‘‘extremely worried about the governance’’ of AIBA and ‘‘reserves the right to refuse boxing’’ in the programme for Tokyo and the 2018 Youth Games in Buenos Aires in October.
Bach said AIBA had failed to clarify internal decision-making procedures and the way its new president had been installed, as well issues surrounding its finances, refereeing and anti-doping.
Nyika fought at last year’s AIBA world championships and suffered a controversial defeat to reigning Russian Olympic champion Evgeny Tischenko at the quarterfinal stages.
The Hamilton fighter has competed in AIBA tournaments around the world since winning a light heavyweight gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.
He was also contentiously beaten in an AIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in Azerbaijan by Uzbekistan’s Rustam Tulaganov, who then won bronze in Rio, while Nyika missed out.
After a meeting in Pyeongchang yesterday ahead of this month’s Winter Olympics, a statement by the IOC’s executive board said it was maintaining a financial suspension imposed in December.
The IOC chief ethics and compliance officer has opened an investigation into AIBA’s governance, while the IOC is freezing all contacts with AIBA except ones at a working level.
AIBA is asked to provide a further report by April 30.
Bach also indicated the IOC had concerns about the judging at the 2016 Rio Games and was not satisfied with an AIBA report dismissing the concerns.
‘‘From the fact that refereeing is part of the decision we already took in December last year and we were requesting more information, you can conclude we’re still looking into this issue.
‘‘We want to see that this report really does reflect the reality,’’ he said.
Nyika fought in the World Series of Boxing for the British Lionhearts franchise in Paris last weekend as they lost 3-2 to the France Fighting Roosters.
The Kiwi is targeting another gold medal for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April.