IOC TO ‘WORK HARD’ ON TOURNAMENT FOR 2020 GAMES DESPITE HALT TO PREPARATIONS
The International Olympic Committee will “work hard” to include boxing in the 2020 Games in Tokyo despite freezing preparations over a governance crisis in the sport, the body’s chief said yesterday. On Friday, the IOC said it was halting preparations for boxing at the Games and launched an inquiry into the sport’s troubled governing body – the International Boxing Association (Aiba).
IOC president Thomas Bach yesterday declined to promise that boxing would be part of the 2020 Games, but said “we will make all efforts to protect the athletes as we always do”. He said the IOC had “received a request from the national boxing federation of Japan pleading to have an Olympic boxing tournament. We’re absolutely in line with this request”, he added. “We want to have one and this is why we will work hard.”
But he said there were ongoing concerns about Aiba, particularly its head – a controversial Uzbek businessman linked to organised crime by the US Treasury Department. He denies the claims. Aiba, meanwhile, said it was pleased the IOC’s executive board had “acknowledged” its progress, despite the virtually unprecedented decision by the body to freeze progress to include boxing in 2020.
Aiba head Gafur Rakhimov also rejected the suggestion that his listing by the US Treasury Department affected his ability to run the organisation. “I can assure the IOC that the situation with US authorities based on false allegations by the previous regime of my country is being addressed and that my legal team is working hard to correct this,” he said in a statement.
The IOC’s decision poses logistical problems for the organisers of the Games, freezing all official contact between Aiba and 2020 organisers, as well as ticket sales, test event planning and finalising the competition schedule. But Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said while “official level contact” was halted, working-level contact with Aiba would continue. “We will liaise, we will keep our collaboration, coordination,” he said.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, 36 officials and referees were suspended amid allegations of bout-fixing. The IOC’s final decision on whether to include boxing was not expected until June, Muto said.