The constant changes in international boxing news are terribly negative. Since 2016, the sport has been caught up in a whirlwind of convulsions, changes and damaging events that are completely destroying it. They are simultaneously dividing it and devaluing it to the point where it could irretrievably disappear from the Olympic Games. There only seems to be one way out at present and it comes from India, from the hands of Ajay Singh, or simply Mr Singh.
After the expulsion of the IBA from the IOC, a series of actions by the opposing sides have widened the gap but, above all, the damage to the sport and its people. To date there are three parties involved in the international boxing affair: IOC, IBA and the WB.
The IOC has made its decisions, announced them as clearly as possible, and proceeded with its actions. For the IOC, there is no return from the IBA unless a new federation emerges with which it can work. Otherwise, the sport will be out of the Olympic program for the first time. The IOC has also asked the NOCs to expel those national federations that no longer meet the requirement of being members of an international federation recognized by the IOC.
THE ‘NON-REACTION’ OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATIONS
The damage to the national federations is twofold: their sport is out of the Olympic program and they risk being excluded from their national Olympic committees, losing the corresponding subsidies and entering the second category of non-Olympic sports. No Olympic status, no Olympic Games, no Olympic money. This is a dire evolution that the national federations seem to not fully grasp, but they will surely understand after the Paris Olympic Games.
In response, the IBA has announced high prize money for athletes in its competitions and direct subsidies to its member NFs and continental confederations. It hopes to stem the tide towards the WB, which it has temporarily achieved. It is also creating new members in countries where pre-existing members have left for the WB, though these new members are often just a few clubs and not comparable to those who departed.
These moves are further dividing the sport at the national level, devastating boxing. Has the IBA considered what will happen if its leadership changes? Can its budget, designed to block defections, be sustained? Is the IOC right about the IBA’s lack of financial independence? Is this model about to collapse? Does it promote Olympic principles?
Finally, the WB, though it started with potential, has not met its expectations. Initially joined by 29 federations, many large, more than half of Europe, Africa, and Asia did not follow. Does this indicate dissatisfaction with its leadership? Is the WB merely a fragment of the old AIBA, burdened by its legacy? Does it lack financial autonomy and stability? Perhaps it’s all these issues at once.
The latest positive news for the WB is the addition of the Indian Boxing Federation, a major and traditional boxing federation from a giant country. The BIF’s membership could lead to more members from Asia joining. The president of the BIF, Ajay Singh, is a serious, business-minded multi-millionaire, recently vice-president of the IBA. The WB hopes Mr. Singh’s presence will attract others in Asia. Could Mr. Singh be a neutral candidate for WB leadership, free from past conflicts and associated with a country strong financially and aspiring to host the Olympic Games? Is this enough?
SPORTSIN’S OPINION
SportsIn believes the only viable solution must include:
– A new body with no link to AIBA’s past, entirely new in name, structure, and leadership.
– Focus exclusively on Olympic boxing, unlike the IBA’s new direction towards professional competitions.
– A complete operational and financial independence plan to be approved by the IOC.
– A new refereeing body, breaking away from the old AIBA system.
– A leadership that unites, not divides, the sport.
Are the national federations aware of the looming reality? Are they prepared for the repercussions and to explain the new harsh reality to their members? At SportsIn, we highly doubt it. Ignorance is the greatest threat to boxing and its Olympic future. We will continue to monitor the situation, hoping for a new beginning driven by the sport’s self-preservation instinct.