‘People will stop boxing’ – Olympic exclusion a serious ‘threat’ to boxing and future stars

“No-one can exclude us from anywhere,” was the rallying cry from Umar Kremlev, the International Boxing Association’s under-fire president, at last weekend’s crucial special congress in Armenia.

For the future of amateur boxing, that is not strictly true.

As it stands, boxing will not be included at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, which could have major consequences for the unpaid code of the sport.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made no secret of its “grave concerns” regarding Russian Kremlev’s premiership and the axe may fall on boxing as a result.

There was a glimmer of hope that the IOC could have been placated in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Sunday, when a vote took place to decide whether Kremlev could be challenged in new presidential elections.

However, Dutchman Boris van der Vorst will not get the chance to run after 106 out of 142 delegates voted against staging a leadership challenge.

Kremlev was elected unopposed as president of amateur boxing’s world governing body in May after Van der Vorst was declared ineligible. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in June that Van der Vorst was wrongly prevented from standing.

In a statement released shortly after the congress, the IOC said it was “extremely concerned” and that “following these disturbing developments, the IOC will have to fully review the situation at its next meeting”.

In June, the IOC executive board stripped the IBA, previously known as AIBA, of its right to organise the boxing competition at Paris 2024 and the qualifying process for it because of governance, finance, refereeing and ethical issues.