IOC Declines to Intervene in AIBA Power Struggle

(ATR) The International Boxing Association says the International Olympic Committee recognizes the presidency of CK Wu by deferring to a Swiss court ruling in favor of the AIBA president.

"The issue being raised is an internal dispute within AIBA," IOC director of legal affairs Howard Stupp sent in his response to an open letter from AIBA executives seeking to oust Wu. "The IOC has noted the recent decisions by the Swiss court in this respect."

AIBA executives sent an open letter to IOC President Thomas Bach on Sept. 29 requesting an IOC investigation into the state of AIBA’s finances, the impetus behind their attempts to remove Wu from office and call a motion of no confidence.

Several members of the AIBA Executive Committee believe the federation is on the brink of bankruptcy as a result of bad deals and mismanagement by Wu. This led to the formation of an Interim Management Committee which has been subsequently disbanded after the Swiss court ruling.

It seems the IOC wishes to steer clear of the power struggle by siding with the Swiss courts, yet Wu has used the IOC’s deference as a sign of support with his leadership.

"I am very happy to receive the IOC’s act of solidarity for the current governance of AIBA in alignment with the Swiss court’s decision that the so-called IMC continues to disregard," Wu said in a statement on Oct. 6. "AIBA deplores the apparent disdain that these members have shown for AIBA and the law in their attempts to derail this organization’s work to implement our vision for boxing across the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Cycle.

"This is an important statement of support from the IOC as we attempt to finally put this episode behind us and ensure the continued upward trajectory of our sport and its perception around the world," says the AIBA statement, although nothing in the IOC response indicates support of Wu’s reign of the federation.

Without IOC intervention, Wu will likely continue to exercise his power within the federation. After the court decision on Sept. 25, Wu cancelled an Extraordinary Executive Committee meeting scheduled by his opponents where a date for a motion of no confidence vote was expected to be set.

On Oct. 4, Wu began removing members of the IMC from AIBA’s Executive Committee Bureau, a separate entity from the Executive Committee which serves as an intermediary decision making body when two meetings of the Executive Committee are held. Wu removed AIBA vice president and leader of the IMC Franco Falcinelli from the bureau as well as fellow executive critic Pat Fiacco.

"The EC Bureau, currently composed of individuals who have supported the formation of the stillborn IMC or member of the stillborn IMC such as yourself, is no longer capable of taking decisions for the best interests of AIBA, and shall therefore be reorganized," Wu wrote in his letter to Falcinelli.

In their letter to Bach, the disbanded IMC members asked the IOC to also allow for the convening of an Extraordinary AIBA Congress where a motion of no confidence could be held. The IMC says they have support from at least 80 National Federations to force Wu’s resignation.

"We write to you without any political reasons, but simply because we wish to protect the sport that we all love, on behalf of AIBA, on behalf of National Federations, and on behalf of millions of fans around the world," the 11 AIBA executives write in the letter to Bach.

In its response, the IOC simply said "according to its policy, the IOC is not responding to open letters."

While the IOC declined to deal with the open letter, Around the RIngs is told that members of the AIBA Executive Committee may file a formal complaint to the IOC Ethics Commission. Wu, an IOC member since 1988 from Chinese Taipei, is also a member of the IOC Executive Board, holding the seat earmarked for a representative of the Summer Olympic international federations.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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