Boxing Fracas Grows With Defiance

(ATR) Accusations of criminal behavior are the latest ploy in C.K. Wu's battle to discredit efforts to rescue the Olympic boxing federation.

In a letter to International Association of Boxing executives, AIBA executive director William Louis-Marie says AIBA president Wu attacks what he calls the "illegal and immoral attempt of certain EC Members" to seize control of the federation.

Louis-Marie claims to have evidence "from an apparently well informed source" that members of the Interim Management Committee have colluded with the media, discussed an assassination plot against Wu and Louis-Marie, worked with former executive director Ho Kim to overthrow Wu and have "resorted to bribing individual NFs".

Once again, Wu and Louis-Marie are seeking to pass the burden of guilt for AIBA’s financial troubles and political turmoil to Ho Kim, claiming that he is the mastermind behind the attempted takeover.

Louis-Marie adds that criminal proceedings against the IMC and Kim have been filed with authorities in Switzerland and the Canton of Vaud.

These legal proceedings are separate from the Swiss court which is determining whether the IMC had the authority to take over daily operations of the federation until a Nov. 11 Extraordinary Congress in Dubai where a motion of no confidence will be held against Wu.

The Swiss court has postponed a decision until Aug. 17 when it will hear from both the IMC and president Wu.

Wu is now seeking support of AIBA’s National Federations in written form ahead of the Aug. 17 court hearing, going as far as to supply each NF with a template letter of support for the AIBA president. Insert signature here.

"With yesterday’s circulation of the Swiss court decision, the recent development of AIBA governance, and the proof of Ho Kim’s manipulation behind the scene, I believe now you already have enough knowledge about the vicious nature of the so-called ‘IMC’," Wu writes to the National Federations on Aug. 8.

"Any group or person like so-called ‘IMC’, which attempted to control AIBA through illegal and criminal measures, utterly shows no respect to the sport we all love. If AIBA is controlled by such persons, there will be no future for boxing," Wu states.

In response, the IMC - led by AIBA vice president Franco Falcinelli - also wrote to the NFs condemning the "grossly false and slanderous statements".

"The fact that both Mr Wu and Mr Louis-Marie are now sending out strongly deceptive letters, trying this way to engulf AIBA in near-anarchy, shows the little respect they have for AIBA as well as for all National Federations," the IMC says. "By doing so, they take into account exclusively their own personal interests, to the risk of jeopardizing AIBA and the World Boxing Championships to come."

The 2017 AIBA World Championships begin on Aug. 25 in Hamburg, Germany, a week after the court decision and could be overshadowed by the back and forth attacks by the IMC and Wu.

In its letter, the IMC reminds the NFs that similar accusations have been levied by Wu in the past to no avail and that the attempted takeover is a result of financial mismanagement which a KPMG audit has demonstrated "strong indebtedness" up to $15.5 million.

"The two letters from Mr Wu and Mr Louis-Marie show that they are applying a new strategy in order to defend their own interests, solely trying to add to the general confusion and, by doing so, confuse EC members as well as National Federations," the IMC writes.

"Such a strategy is very likely intended to shade the above mentioned suspicions of mismanagement and put light on their false assertions."

Written by Kevin Nutley

Forgeneral comments or questions, click here.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about theOlympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribersonly.