Rakhimov Rival Resumes AIBA Presidential Bid

(ATR) Serik Konakbayev is back on the campaign trail in his bid to secure the presidency of the Olympic boxing federation.

The AIBA vice president launched an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week over the federation election committee’s decision to rule him out of the Nov. 3 election in Moscow. He claims nomination forms that arrived on Sept. 24 were not counted, which would have given him the required 20 nominations needed to get on the ballot sheet.

In a Oct. 17 letter to AIBA national federations, seen by Around the Rings, Konakbayev says he is free to continue his bid for the presidency.

"I was informed that CAS will conduct the hearing and make the decision on my eligibility on October 30. Since the hearing is too close to the election date, I am now permitted to resume my election campaign to fully preserve my right to promote my candidacy," he said in the letter.

"I am very much hopeful that CAS will evaluate all supporting documents I have provided with the same view as mine."

The Asian Boxing Confederation chief said he believes the Nov. 2-3 congress "will be the moment to clear all worries and troubles we have been facing in order to rebuild AIBA and boxing for our athletes and coaches."

Konakbayev boxed under the flag of the U.S.S.R at the 1980 Olympics, winning a silver medal.

Interim president Gafur Rakhimov will still stand unopposed for the leadership of the Olympic federation – unless his Kazakh rival’s appeal is upheld by CAS.

The IOC is likely to refuse to accept Rakhimov as head of the federation. The Uzbek-born Russian businessman, interim boxing chief since January, is on a U.S. Treasury Department list for alleged connections to Russian transnational criminal organizations. The IOC Ethics and Compliance officer has written to AIBA to say that Rakhimov is not suitable to be AIBA president as a result of the U.S. designation.

In recent weeks and months, the IOC has reiterated its threat to expel boxing from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic program unless AIBA fixes governance issues.

Olympic rulers cancelled accreditation for Rakhimov and AIBA officials for the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. It’s part of a freeze in communications and funding with AIBA leadership.

In an exclusive interview with ATR this week, Rakhimov denied the alleged criminal links detailed in the U.S. listing. It accuses him of being "one of the leaders of Uzbek organized crime".

Rakhimov said the "various rumors and serious allegations" have been "disturbing and stressful" for him and his family, adding "the truth is that I of course have never been involved in transnational criminal organizations or whatever has been said about me."

Asked what proof there was to clear his name, Rakhimov said: "The decision to include me to the U.S. Treasury sanction list was the consequence of the repression and persecution from the former dictatorship regime of Uzbekistan.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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