The International Boxing Association takes note of the comments regarding the recent IOC communication; this includes a revised version of the Paris 2024 Boxing Qualification System (OQS).
While acknowledging the changes, the IBA remains concerned, specifically regarding the removal of the qualifying route that was originally agreed to in April this year.
The IOC had been integral in this initial collaborative work with the IBA, forming a specific working group to create the OQS. The IBA believes that the late changes will have a significant and direct impact on the agreed event forecast for 2022/23, not only at the IBA level, but also for the confederations that are in the process of planning their elite events. . The system initially approved by the IOC was designed so that all criteria would be fair, transparent and open to all.
The IBA also notes that while it was criticized for not providing all the results related to the qualification system by the end of June, particularly less than two years from Paris 2024, it is still unclear how the system will be run. its exact timeline and location of Africa multi-sport event and world ranking tournaments.
The IBA indicates that they are not aware of the consultations carried out by the IOC with key IBA stakeholders, including the IBA Technical Committees and the IBA Athletes Committee, while it is stated that the new classification process puts boxers first.
The fan organization further stated:
“The perceived double-standard approach in relation to the technical officials’ in-space joint assessment work continues to be extremely disappointing. The IOC’s Boxing Independent Experts Group and the IBA’s subject matter experts have been working very closely. close for the past 6 months to share best practices.The results of this positive collaborative work have been seen and recognized at the highest level.The IOC President, Mr. Thomas Bach, has made comments relating specifically to the good work, clean and positive made at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul.
“Our work in the integrity space has already had a significant positive impact on our global competition results. Trust is extremely important when working as a team, positive feedback has been prevalent during this time, so it’s still really difficult and disappointing to understand the sudden change in feel and direction.
“IBA has worked extremely hard over the last 12-18 months in the management, training and professional development space for all technical officials. The pre-course requirements for all major championships have proven to be a great success, along with the support provided by Professor McLaren and the AI program The random draw process has been applied to all events, and the management of this process has been personally praised by independent experts from outside the organization All key positions within the field are carefully monitored in Ensure highly competent officials are thoroughly vetted prior to appointment All respective administration related selection criteria have been carefully formulated and planned The ongoing development program has captured all lessons learned from the past, ensuring that methodologies training are fully in tune with the latest ethics and behavior requirements; all of which have been actively supported or ordained by the IOC/IBA working group.
“The IBA is also surprised to learn that independent experts identified issues related to the management of the competition and the refereeing and judging processes during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham; specifically when comments were made about ‘how integrity management was addressed’ related to the technical officials within the IBA.’ While we recognize that there is always room for improvement, we also see significant progress in the fields mentioned above, which is confirmed in McLaren’s report following the extensive work carried out by their team in the site in this specific competition.
“The newly formed IBA has moved away from the problems of the past. The organization has a new democratically elected Board of Directors, and is a totally new entity. Fairness and transparency are words often used in the daily work environment of the IBA. Integrity remains central to our work and espoused core values that we owe to our athletes and coaches. We are available 24/7 to ensure that the IBA vision is upheld. Communicate globally, keeping the foundations of good sporting practice and ethics at the heart of our global work.
“The Governance Reform Group (GRG) has delivered on its mandate, and the IBA thanks Professor Haas and his team for recommending all necessary governance reforms and follow-up. The IBA is committed to governance best practice and following all recommendations of GRG and complete the reform process The next congress will dispel the myth and all doubts about the IBA’s commitment to good governance.
“IBA is confident that it has implemented the vast majority of the recommended reforms. While the rest is a work in progress, the most important aspects of this work have been completed. We believe that the IOC is not well informed about the current financial status of IBA, but we remain open to any requests for shared information. IBA has no concerns about working in this space, but like all evolving organizations, we continue to strive to improve in all that we do. Please note that the restructuring of the IBA staff Lausanne office was a necessary process to keep it running smoothly, an effective work environment with a strong structure will ensure the smooth and efficient delivery of our KPIs.
“‘A Look Ahead’ is the excellent work on an independent marketing program to be announced very soon; we have deals done with two major sponsors. Other good news; a new competition system, with the World Boxing Tour, starting in in mid-October in Maribor. We have also secured the hosts of the World Championships for 2023.”
