No threat to boxing, says AIBA chief

Vinayak Padmadeo
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 14

International Boxing Association (AIBA) president Gafur Rakhimov has assured that boxing will continue to be a part of the Olympics programme. Rakhimov, who is on the US Treasury Department’s sanction list for his alleged links with the drug mafia and whose election to AIBA’s top post has caused a great deal of consternation in the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said on Wednesday that boxing will “always stay in Olympics” because “one person’s interest will never be above boxing”.

IOC has threatened to axe boxing from the Olympics over a series of infractions, including Rakhimov’s presidency, refereeing controversies and good governance issues. AIBA executive director Tom Virgets has sent a detailed report to the IOC Executive, covering aspects like anti-doping measures, referee integrity, good governance and finance. The IOC Executive is scheduled to meet in Tokyo in December where, besides several other issues, the fate of boxing will be decided.

Refereeing is another problem area for the sport. All 36 referees and judges who officiated at the 2016 Rio Olympics were suspended due a series of controversial decisions. But Rakhimov, who is in India for the women’s World Boxing Championships, said the concerns raised by IOC were a result of the past inactions and his team had been working to ring in reforms within the sports body. “There is nothing to worry,” Rakhimov told the media with the help of an interpreter. “It has nothing to do with one person and one person’s interest will never be above boxing. Boxing will always stay in the Olympics,” he added. “In the last ten months at the helm of AIBA, we have done lot of reforms and improvements and we are going to continue that for the best interests of boxing and our boxers.”

Rakhimov added that they have brought on board Price Waterhouse Cooper to analyse the referring programme. “So far the recommendations have been positive and we will continue working to improve the refereeing system,” he said.