Upon the recommendation of the Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IOC Session, which met remotely on 22 June 2023, has decided to withdraw recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA), in accordance with Rule 3.7 of the Olympic Charter (OC).
Thursday, June 22, 2023
IOC Session withdraws recognition of International Boxing Association
Upon the recommendation of the Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IOC Session, which met remotely on 22 June 2023, has decided to withdraw recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA), in accordance with Rule 3.7 of the Olympic Charter (OC).
This decision is based on the IOC Comprehensive Report on the Situation of the IBA dated 2 June 2023, discussed and approved by the IOC EB on 7 June 2023.
The report establishes that the IBA has failed to fulfil the conditions set by the IOC in its decision communicated to the IBA on 9 December 2021 – which was not challenged by the IBA – for lifting the suspension of the IBA’s recognition.
As an additional consequence of the above decision, the IOC Session has decided that the IBA will not organise the Olympic Games LA28 boxing tournament.
In the preparation of this report, the IBA was granted the right to be heard in writing and to provide any information it deemed relevant; consequently, the IBA’s reply was shared with the IOC Members, along with the recommendation by the IOC Executive Board.
In the interest of the boxing athletes and the sport of boxing, the IOC Session also followed the IOC EB’s recommendation to maintain boxing on the sports programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, in accordance with the IOC EB’s decisions communicated on 24 June 2022, 8 September 2022 and 6 December 2022.
The IBA had already appealed to CAS concerning the recommendation of the IOC EB. The IOC successfully opposed this request. As there is now a new opportunity to appeal, the IOC is not in a position to comment further on the situation.
Background information
In a decision taken on 26 June 2019, upon the IOC EB’s recommendation, the IOC Session suspended the IOC’s recognition of AIBA (subsequently the IBA as of 2021), pursuant to OC Rules 3.7, 18.2.8, 18.2.11 and 25 §2.
Such decision noted that, although there were sufficient grounds to withdraw AIBA’s recognition, for the protection of boxing athletes and the maintenance of boxing as a sport at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the IOC Session was willing to provide AIBA with an exceptional opportunity to restore its full compliance with OC Rule 25 and the IOC Code of Ethics.
