Boxing federation calls for Russia’s return to world sport

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (L) and International Boxing Assosiation (AIBA) President Umar Kremlev (R) tour the newly opened International Boxing centre at the Luzhniki Sports Complex, in Moscow September 10, 2022. (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov / SPUTNIK / AFP)

The International Boxing Federation (IBA) on Friday demanded that Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to return to international competition, having been banned by most organizations since the invasion of Ukraine in February.

The first body to launch such an appeal, the IBA has itself been suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2019 for multiple corruption scandals, and risks disappearing as an Olympic sport after Paris 2024.

“Sports is out of politics: where it begins, politics ends,” the IBA’s Russian president Umar Kremlev said in a statement issued by the federation on Friday. Boxing has not barred Russians and Belarussians from competitions.

“The time has now come to allow all the rest of the athletes of Russia and Belarus to participate in all the official competitions of their sports representing their countries,” he continued.

“Both the IOC and the International Federations must protect all athletes, and there should be no discrimination based on nationality. It is the duty of all of us to keep sports and athletes away from politics.”

As a sign of its political neutrality the IBA said that Ukrainian boxers could participate in the European Junior Championships in Italy until October 5, after suspending the Ukrainian Boxing Federation on Sunday for controversial reasons.

IOC President Thomas Bach on Friday insisted that the recommendations made at the end of February “remained the same for the moment”, in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra.

He pointed out that the decision to exclude Russian athletes had been taken “for their safety” and to preserve “the autonomy of sport” from governments.

Since the spring, the IOC has indicated that it will reassess “step by step” its recommendations against the Russians and Belarusians, amid questions on their participation in the 2024 Olympics.

Football bodies FIFA and UEFA have excluded Russian teams and clubs from their competitions, with the national team banned from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and from the Euro 2024 qualifying.