Arbitration Court to rule next week on IBA presidency appeal

Next week the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will decide on Boris van der Vorst’s appeal against the decision to declare him ineligible as a candidate for the presidency of the International Boxing Association (IBA). As Around The Rings learned that the Lausanne-based CAS will hear arguments from the president of the Netherlands Boxing Federation next Friday, June 10 via videoconference.

According to some sources, the court could announce its verdict on June 14, just a month after the IBA elections had confirmed Russian Umar Kremlev as president by acclamation for the 2022-2026 term. In the electoral congress held in Istanbul, Turkey, Kremlev was left as the only candidate after the Interim Nomination Unit of the Independent Integrity Unit established the controversial ineligibility of Van der Vorst.

The panel considered that the Dutch manager broke the rules by campaigning outside the electoral period and collaborating with candidates for other positions. Candidates from the United States, New Zealand, Denmark and Sweden were also disqualified from applying for positions on the IBA Executive Board.

All also appealed except the candidate from Denmark.

Van der Vorst and the other four applicants were notified of their ineligibility just 24 hours before the vote. The International Olympic Committee is “very attentive” to the outcome of this legal process, according to sources. A week after the elections, the IOC president, Thomas Bach, insisted on his “many concerns” with the operation of the international federation.

At the conclusion of the 139th Session of the IOC, and questioned by the press, Bach said that “it was not fun” to see what happened during the election “which is now being challenged in the CAS. This is not what we imagine as good governance,” he added.

“We hope that this decision will come soon so that we have more clarity,” Bach said. The Olympic leader reiterated the IOC’s concern about the IBA’s financial dependency on the major Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom. According to the IBA, Gazprom is scheduled to conclude its contract by the end of 2022.

Prior to the elections, a letter from the IOC surfaced in which it warned Kremlev that the Olympic body still had “significant concerns” about the governance, integrity of the judges and the financial sustainability of the IBA. The IOC’s recognition of the International Boxing Association remains suspended despite the reforms carried out by the Russian director but which have not completely convinced the Olympic leadership.

The ban on the former AIBA forced the IOC to organize the Olympic tournament at the Tokyo Games. Boxing is not currently included in the sports program for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. On the day of his re-election Kremlev said he had pushed for “bold promises” such as clearing the IBA’s debts and pushing for improvements in governance, financial integrity and sporting integrity.

Van der Vorst is hopeful and has reiterated his confidence in his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.