• Cas said the IBA had not made enough change in financial transparency, the integrity of officials and its culture.
• It added that “disregarding” those changes suggests a “biased view” and questioned the independence of the two organisations.
Image: /FILE
The International Boxing Association’s appeal against the removal of its status as the sport’s world governing body has been rejected.
The IBA was stripped of its status by the International Olympic Committee in June 2023 and took its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Cas said the IBA had not made enough change in financial transparency, the integrity of officials and its culture.
“As a consequence, these three elements justified the IOC’s decision,” it said.
The IOC’s executive board recommended the move after the IBA failed to meet set reforms following its 2019 suspension over governance issues and alleged corruption.
IOC members backed the recommendation with 69 of 70 valid votes.
The Russian-led IBA says it will take legal advice before deciding whether to take the case to an appeal before the Swiss Federal Tribunal.
In a statement reacting to the decision, the IBA said it had initiated “extensive reforms” that have been “overlooked” by Cas and the IOC.
It added that “disregarding” those changes suggests a “biased view” and questioned the independence of the two organisations.
Last year, in response to the vote, the IBA accused the IOC of making a “tremendous error” and compared the move to Germany’s actions in World War Two.
The IOC welcomed the decision by Cas but said national boxing federations and national Olympic committees (NOCs) need to find an organising partner by early next year to ensure the sport remains part of the Games.
Boxing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was organised by the IOC amid concerns over the IBA’s finance, governance, ethics, refereeing and judging.
The Olympic body will be in charge again for Paris 2024, but has no plans to do so for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
“The NOCs and national boxing federations thus hold the future of Olympic boxing in their own hands, and the required actions cannot be clearer,” the IOC said.
“At the moment, boxing is not on the sports programme for the Olympic Games LA28. In order to remedy this, the IOC needs to have a partner International Federation for boxing by early 2025.”
In April, World Boxing — a breakaway international federation — was formed. Last month, World Boxing said it would seek recognition from Olympic organisers to replace the IBA and keep the sport on the programme for the LA Games in 2028.
“Any national federation or NOC that continues to think its boxers will have an Olympic future elsewhere, and without joining World Boxing, is making a grave error that will be ruinous for the sport and hugely damaging for its boxers,” it said on Wednesday.