The protesters were seen carrying signs and wearing t-shirts that read "no boxing without IBA" and "no Olympics without boxing."
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The International Boxing Association (IBA) protested the withdrawal of boxing from the Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland, led by Olympic medalist and former World Champion Roy Jones Jr. The protesters were seen carrying signs and wearing t-shirts that read “no boxing without IBA” and “no Olympics without boxing.” The protesters are calling for the inclusion of boxing in the sports that will be featured at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Initially, there were about 40 athletes and coaches from Switzerland, France, and Poland. Later in the morning, this number increased to about 80.
The IBA , which was previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), lost its IOC recognition in June 2019. Boxing will have to fight to save its Olympic spot beyond Paris 2024 due to ongoing governance issues under IBA President Umar Kremlev, who first came into power in December 2020. The IBA has already been barred from participating in the next Games in Paris. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is concerned about its financial dependence on Russian state-owned Gazprom and the “increased” influence of the Presidential office in Moscow.
Jones Jr, a close associate of Kremlev who was granted a Russian passport by President Vladimir Putin in 2015, told Insidethegames that his meetings with the IOC made him “more confident” about boxing’s possibilities. Additionally, he backed Kremlev’s performance as IBA President, asserting that he is the right candidate for the post currently and has contributed to the resolution of problems at the supreme body. On the other hand, critics have accused Kremlev of failing to “meet the expectations” after the IOC established a path for reforms, and have expressed worries about the integrity of various IBA events. Contrary to IOC advice, the IBA Executive Committee’s decision in October to allow competitors from Russia and Belarus to participate under their own flags sparked controversy.
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“He’s cleaned IBA up, and that’s why he’s changed the name. It had problems with funding and everything else, he fixed all those problems the AIBA had, and he changed to IBA because he should have,” Jones Jr said to Insidethegames. He added, “He’s tried to do it from a place of helping the athletes more so than anything else, and as long as we keep that intact, I think we will be okay. If we stick together and have a neutral opinion and make the best for the athletes, I think we will all be fine.” “Now under new rulership, we have been seeing a whole different situation. “He has been allowing kids a chance and opportunities, who didn’t have opportunities before, and that’s what boxing should be about,” he further stated.
