New name, new me: AIBA becomes IBA to signal reforms amid initial exclusion from LA28 sports program

The International Boxing Association (IBA) has dropped its former identity as AIBA as part of a wide set of reforms approved during the organization’s recent Extraordinary Congress. The new acronym is accompanied by a new logo, as the organization attempts to move on from its castigation from the Olympic movement.

The rebrand was part of a wider set of reforms approved by IBA, which included amendments to the organization’s constitution.

Highlights from the reforms package include the establishment of a new Boxing Independent Integrity Unit (BIIU), which IBA claims will become operational sometime in 2022, and a reduction in the number of seats on the Board of Directors, which will now have 18 members instead of 28, following the elections on June 30, 2022.

Candidates for election will also undergo extensive, independent eligibility checks, while considerable changes to the Board of Directors will be made based on updated eligibility criteria and newly imposed term limits.

Speaking on the occasion, IBA President Umar Kremlev stated, “as we celebrate our 75th anniversary, I am very proud of the way IBA is quickly and comprehensively becoming fit for the future.”

“Only a year has passed since I had the privilege of becoming president of IBA. Working together, we have already completed reforms that would not have been thought possible before. We could not have achieved this alone.”

“In preparing the measures approved by the members of IBA today, we have had the support of leading independent experts in sports integrity and in governance. And all of this has been made possible only with the help of resources provided by our general partner, Gazprom.”

The Extraordinary Congress was also held under the dark cloud of boxing’s exclusion from the initial sports program for the LA28 Summer Olympics.

Last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) revealed its decision, outlining that, “AIBA [IBA] must demonstrate it has successfully addressed the ongoing concerns around its governance, its financial transparency and sustainability, and the integrity of its refereeing and judging processes.”

Boxing’s reputation has suffered serious blows in recent years following a severe governing crisis, and an investigation into bout manipulation found that selected bouts had been manipulated at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, and perhaps even London 2012 Summer Olympics as well.

Boxing has already suffered various consequences stemming from the rampant corruption in the sport, such as IOC’s suspension of recognition in regards to AIBA, now IBA. The IOC was so concerned by the state of IBA that it even took the rare step of organizing the boxing tournament at Tokyo 2020 itself.

Reflecting on the decision made by the IOC, and reforms passed during the General Assembly, Kremlev stated, “just three days ago, the IOC gave its most recent advice to IBA, which included the adoption of governance reforms and diversifying our sources of revenue.”

“It is a sign of how far IBA has come that we were already prepared to deliver convincing progress towards this at full speed. We are doing much more than making very big improvements in individual parts of IBA. We are changing our whole culture in a lasting way. The new IBA is ready to serve the boxers of today and tomorrow, together with all those who support them.”

It remains unclear if the IOC will be satisfied by the changes made by IBA. Nonetheless, the organization has promised to continue moving forward with work towards the future of boxing.

The organization has begun work to define the weight classes for Paris 2024, with efforts underway to develop a qualification system as well. The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are due to begin on July 26, 2024. Whether or not the IBA will have a role in the organization of the tournament remains to be seen.