Reform Pledge As Olympic Boxing Fed Turns 75

(ATR) The 75th anniversary of international boxing federation AIBA should be remembered for reforms says the president of the troubled federation.

"This year is crucial to AIBA. It is our 75th anniversary. It will become the year of reform and renewal for AIBA," Kremlev tells Around the Rings in an interview. Kremlev was elected in December to the AIBA presidency, defeating five other candidates.

Kremlev has served as secretary general of the Russian Boxing Federation, a post he will relinquish this week to spend full time on the work of AIBA and the challenges it faces.

"I will have 203 member countries of AIBA to care about. We have great reforms and a development program ahead of us," he says.

The Lausanne-based federation is suspended by the IOC while issues ranging across AIBA’s operations are resolved. The federation carries a multi-million dollar debt. Governance lapses have led to a collapse of leadership with four presidents since 2017. Doubts about the integrity of referees and judges have been chronic. A flawed anti-doping program is yet another issue.

The IOC suspension of AIBA, unprecedented in the annals of the IOC, has been in effect since 2019. The federation has been stripped of any responsibility for the boxing tournament at the Tokyo Olympics and its share of revenue from the Olympic Games is blocked. The IOC says it will review the AIBA suspension after the Tokyo Olympics.

"There is a lot of work to do in this time to adopt the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee. This is only the beginning of the way. In the next six months we should be able to address all of these reforms," Kremlev says.

The boxing chief has also set a six-month deadline to resolve the mountain of debt on the books of the federation. An auditor’s report on the AIBA website shows up to $30 million was payable to creditors as of June 30, 2020. More recent figures have not been produced.

Kremlev asserts the amount owed is much lower.

"The statements are not quite correct. The debt of AIBA is rather less, about nine or $10 million. Regarding the other sums, we will take an internal audit. Regarding the $9 million in debt we have already closed part of this amount. But of course we have a large amount of work for us," he says.

"We are planning to wipe out AIBA’s debt in the next six months. We have large-scale projects to put forward with the national federations. We will open sponsorship agreements with major international companies which will close AIBA’s debt and reinstate AIBA as an ongoing organization," says Kremlev.

Questions around anti-doping may be on the way to being settled, one earlyachievement for Kremlev. AIBA has handed over its drug testing and results management to the International Testing Agency. The independent body works on behalf of international federations to provide a neutrally administered testing regime that is outside the control of the sports bodies.

The ITA decision was ratified by the AIBA board of directors this month, the first for the group since the election in December. Meeting virtually due to coronavirus precautions, the board okayed a new constitution and committee structure.

"Our priority is efficiency, transparency and honesty," Kremlev tells ATR in the exclusive interview.

"Meetings of the Board of Directors will be called as they are needed. There is a great deal of reforms needed," he says.

In February and March AIBA is organizing conferences with each of the five continental confederations. The virtual meetings will solicit ideas from the national governing bodies for AIBA reforms Kremlev says.

"We will take their opinions to make decisions about reforms. We are eager to cooperate with the national federations and will take their opinions as we step forward," he says.

While there have been rumors of a move for the AIBA headquarters from Lausanne, Kremlev says the office will remain there.

"The AIBA office in Lausanne is at the head of the reforms. We will increase our executive team and we will enhance and reinforce our AIBA team," he says.

Still to be hired Kremlev says is an executive director, a job that’s been open for years now. Kremlev says he’s also aiming to develop a boxing academy located near the headquarters or part of a new building.

"The office realignment will also include the construction of the boxing academy. There we will have the training and education for our referees and judges. We will organize reconstruction of the offices or we will decide to build new premises.

"The office will remain in Lausanne because it is the historical location for the federation, says Kremlev.

Lausanne is also the home of the IOC, whose favor will be needed if AIBA is to return to the Olympic fold. Kremlev hasn’t had the chance to meet yet with IOC officials to lobby for reinstatement. But he’s optimistic about the prospects.

"I am grateful to the IOC for not touching boxing as an Olympic sport. I am grateful that they keep boxing as a sport on the Olympic program using their organization. We should protect the interests of our boxers first of all," he says.

Kremlev says regardless of the suspension from Tokyo, the 75th anniversary of AIBA’s founding will help inspire the changes needed for the federation.

"This will be the year of AIBA. We will be organizing many significant boxing events for this anniversary," he promises.

Reported by Ed Hula.