Elections postponed a day as legal situation looms over IBA

It was not business as planned for the International Boxing Association (IBA) during the second day of the association’s own Extraordinary Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. A late legal challenge led to the postponement of the closely monitored elections for President and independent members of the Board of Directors.

The challenge was launched by Boris van der Vorst, who was deemed ineligible for the election by the Interim Nomination Unit of the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit (BIIU) on Thursday. His petition asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to suspend the elections scheduled for the second day of the Extraordinary Congress.

Van der Vorst, along with four other candidates for positions on the Board of Directors, were declared ineligible for election by the Interim Nomination Unit after they were judged to have engaged in “prohibited collaboration and campaigning” according to a statement released by the IBA.

The decision left current IBA President Umar Kremlev as the only candidate eligible to stand for election. Kremlev, speaking during the Extraordinary Congress on Friday, stated, “fairness is very important for me and for this reason, the IBA Election for President will not take place today. This will allow for CAS and for the ineligible candidates time to do their legal work.”

Kremlev was elected President of the IBA in 2020. He has painted himself as the reformer needed to get the scandal stricken sports body back in the good graces of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). However, his support of the war in Ukraine, and reluctance to drop Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom as a sponsor has left detractors concerned about the sport’s future.

Kremlev’s scheduled opponent, Boris van der Vorst, told The Guardian, “there must be an alternate for the present Russian management. It isn’t good for the picture of our sport to nonetheless have sponsorship contracts with Gazprom, a Russian state-owned firm. In truth it is rather damaging.”

Van der Vorst wasn’t the only one harboring concerns about the IBA either. As reported by Around the Rings earlier this week, the IOC sent a letter to the IBA describing its own concerns about the state of international boxing at present.

An excerpt from the letter reads, “boxing will not be presently included within the sports activities program of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, with considerations remaining in the important areas of governance, monetary sustainability and the confirmed integrity of the refereeing and judging programs.”

The letter and now contentious election will have done little to alleviate concerns over the sport’s future at the Olympic Games. It remains unclear if the postponed election will indeed take place on Saturday, or if it will be postponed to another date following additional legal developments.

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