(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
IBA President Says Olympic Boxing Risks Becoming a Youth-Level Event
LONDON – International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev has warned that Olympic boxing could be reduced to a youth-level competition if the IBA remains excluded as the sport’s governing body.
Speaking via Zoom on Monday, Kremlev emphasized that the IBA, despite being suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019 and officially stripped of recognition in 2023, is moving into what he called a “golden era.”
“For boxers, the world championships and IBA tournaments will be the most important events,” Kremlev said. “The Olympics will become more of a platform for younger athletes – like a children’s sport.”
Drawing comparisons to football, he added, “Just like the FIFA World Cup holds greater significance in football, our world championships will be the pinnacle in boxing. The Olympics, in contrast, do not contribute to the long-term development of the sport.”
His comments came on the day Kirsty Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe, succeeded Thomas Bach as IOC President. Kremlev offered no conciliatory words toward the IOC and expressed criticism of both Bach and the election process for IOC leadership. He suggested that future presidents should be chosen by countries rather than by IOC members and said Coventry should work to “leave no trace of Bach.”
Kremlev has frequently criticized the IOC in the past, including during a press conference at the Paris Games in 2024. That appearance drew a strong response from the Olympic body, with IOC spokesperson Mark Adams stating it highlighted why the IBA is “unfit to run boxing.”
Despite being removed from Olympic governance, the IBA plans to award prize money to athletes competing in boxing at the Paris 2024 Games. Kremlev reiterated his belief that Olympic athletes deserve financial rewards for their participation and achievements.
He also dismissed World Boxing — a new organization launched in 2023 and now comprising over 100 member countries — as insignificant. “The IBA is a giant in the sport,” he said. “World Boxing is like a fly — small and short-lived.”
Boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympics is being managed directly by the IOC, following its decision to strip IBA of authority due to concerns over governance and financial transparency.
Looking ahead, Kremlev stated that more details about the IBA’s future plans will be announced at a press conference scheduled for July 2 in Istanbul. He also confirmed that legal action is still being considered in relation to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s participation in Paris, following a gender-eligibility dispute. He noted that any legal proceedings would go through civil courts rather than the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
