Boxing Backs Out of Combat Games

(ATR) Philosophical differences led to boxing pulling out of the 2017 SportAccord Combat Games.

AIBA president C.K. Wu tells Around the Rings the name of the event and the suspension of SportAccord membership were the main reasons for the decision.

AIBA said on May 7 it would not participate in the Games, set to take place in Lima, Peru.

"Many members of the AIBA family ... didn’t like [the idea of sending] boxers to a ‘combat sport’ games. This issue existed within the AIBA for some time," Wu told ATR.

"There are so many sport events ahead for every national federation, so this and the suspension from AIBA to the SportAccord is the decision by the executive committee. That's it."

Wu said that the "combat sports" name paints a picture which is in opposition to how the sport views itself. He added that association with the games creates a "side effect" where many sponsors would not want to sponsor AIBA.

So far, SportAccord has remained silent on the matter and has not responded requests for comment from ATR.

Jose Quiniones, head of the Lima 2017 Combat Games and president of the Peruvian National Olympic Committee, tells ATR he must discuss with SportAccord before commenting on the state of the Games.

Five other Olympic sports - fencing, judo, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling - participate in the SportAccord Combat Games. It is unclear at this time if any other federations will join boxing in withdrawing from the event.

Wu said that he has not talked with SportAccord president Marius Vizer about the decision, saying the AIBA Executive Committee acted together on the matter.

"We are not withdrawn [from SportAccord]. We have just suspended [our relationship]," Wu said.

"So far, there has been no communication."

Conflict between the international federations and SportAccord has been ongoing since Vizer sharply criticized IOC president Thomas Bach at the 2015 SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit on Apr. 20 in Sochi.

Wu said that suspending its association with SportAccord did not mean that AIBA would leave the organization permanently.

"Every individual international federation can make their own choice, but that's why ASOIF suspended its membership with SportAccord and some of the IFs have declared further abstention from SportAccord."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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