AIBA TO OUTSOURCE ANTI-DOPING PROGRAMME TO EASE OLYMPIC CONCERNS

BOXING: THE International Boxing Association (AIBA) has outsourced its anti-doping programme as part of its bid to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to lift its warning on boxing’s Olympic status.

The IOC warned AIBA in February that unless they address concerns about governance, finance, anti-doping and refereeing and judging that the sport could be booted out of the Olympics.

The AIBA yesterday announced that the Doping-Free Sport Unit (DFSU) of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) will take control of its doping-free activities.

“It is important to outline that AIBA, as an Olympic International Federation, is in compliance with the World AntiDoping Code,”the AIBA statement read.

Last week it was revealed that the AIBA Referees and Judges Commission recommended to the AIBA Executive that all 36 referees and judges (R&Js) at the Rio Olympics should be permanently banned from officiating.

The IOC said in February that they are not yet fully convinced that there was no match-fixing at Rio 2016 which was scandalised by a number of controversial decisions.

It’s understood that the AIBA R&J Commission believe that the vast majority of R&Js in Rio were not involved in any alleged corruption but that anyone aware of any wrongdoing has a moral duty to report it.