Price backs World Boxing to save sport from Olympic ‘disaster’

Olympic champion Lauren Price has called for national federations to join World Boxing and save the sport from “disaster”.

As it stands boxing is set to crash out of the Olympic Games after Paris 2024 unless an alternative governing body can be appointed in time for LA 2028.

The International Olympic Committee stripped the IBA, boxing’s international federation, of recognition over its failure to complete reforms on governance, financial and ethical issues, the culmination of a series of scandals that have plagued the governing body since Rio 2016.

Last year, it also accused the IBA’s Russian president Umar Kremlev of using “violent and threatening language” about IOC personnel.

An IOC-run taskforce oversaw the boxing competition at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and they will also administer the tournament in Paris as well. But they will not do so for a third Olympics.

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The sport has until next year to come up with a replacement federation.

“At the moment, boxing is not on the sports programme for the Olympic Games LA28. In order to remedy this, the IOC needs to have a partner international federation for boxing by early 2025,” the IOC said in a statement.

“Because of the universality and high social inclusivity of boxing, the IOC wants it to continue to feature on the programme of the Olympic Games,” it continued.

“Unfortunately, this is far from certain for the Olympic Games LA 2028 because, for governance reasons, the IOC is not in a position to organise another Olympic boxing tournament.

“To keep boxing on the Olympic programme, the IOC needs a recognised and reliable international federation as a partner, as with all the other Olympic sports.

“The NOCs [national Olympic committees] and national boxing federations thus hold the future of Olympic boxing in their own hands, and the required actions cannot be clearer.”

A new boxing body has been created in World Boxing which is expressly seeking recognition from the IOC.

Lauren Price, the reigning Olympic middleweight gold medallist, is backing World Boxing. She is calling for more national federations to continue joining the new organisation to save the Olympic sport.

“A lot more countries have jumped on board. I believe, maybe after Paris, a lot more will join as well,” Price told Sky Sports.

“It’s looking quite promising. I think we all knew it wasn’t really looking good with that organisation [IBA] because of previous, what went on in Rio etc. World Boxing they seem to be doing a great job, they’re putting on tournaments. We recently had one in Sheffield in January and that went great. It’s promising.”

Price continued: “I believe boxing can’t come out of the Olympics. It’ll be a disaster, young people’s hopes, dreams will be crushed. I believe the Olympics is the pinnacle of the sport and that’s where your best boxers come from, you look at the likes of (Floyd) Mayweather and people like that, they went through that process as well. It is very important that boxing stays in.

“You don’t get any higher than the Olympics, so for me, if someone said to me, you could go to the World Championships with IBA or you’re going to the Olympic Games, I know which one I would pick.”

Earlier this week the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the IOC’s decision to strip recognition from the IBA.

Although the IBA insisted it had made considerable progress in the areas mentioned by CAS, the organisation stated it would “refrain from further comments until the CAS award has been thoroughly analysed by its legal experts which is taking place right now to draw a conclusion whether the organisation appeals to the Swiss Federal Tribunal”.

‘The last remaining hope’

World Boxing has reiterated its desire to fill the breach for the Olympic sport.

“There is no alternative,” it said in a statement.

“The decision by CAS and the comments from the IOC send a clear and unambiguous message to all national federations that if they want boxers from their country to have the life-changing opportunity to continue to compete at future Olympic Games then they must now support and seek to join World Boxing, which is the last remaining hope for the sport to retain its status as an Olympic sport beyond Paris 2024.

“Any national federation or NOC that continues to think its boxers will have an Olympic future elsewhere and without joining World Boxing is making a grave error that will be ruinous for the sport and hugely damaging for its boxers.

“For boxing to lose its place at the Olympic Games would be devastating for boxers at all levels in every part of the world. The Olympic Games provides inspiration and an unmatched platform for the sport. Without the Olympic Games, boxing and boxers will suffer. Fewer people will come into the sport at the grassroots and there will be less opportunities for elite boxers. This will damage the sport at every level and cannot be allowed to happen.

“This is an urgent situation and the clock is ticking. The leaders of boxing’s national federations now have a critically important decision to make and we urge every one of them that cares about boxers and the future of the sport to apply to join and support World Boxing in its efforts to ensure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement, before it is too late.”

Lauren Price challenges Jessica McCaskill for the WBA welterweight title on May 11 live on Sky Sports

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