Boxing Prepares For Pivotal Election with Only One Candidate

(ATR) The International Boxing Association (AIBA) confirmed that Gafur Rahimov is the only candidate for president in the federation’s upcoming pivotal election.

The IOC Ethics Commission has already declared that Rahimov’s background makes him unsuitable for the federation presidency.

The U.S. Treasury Department still considers Rahimov as part of or linked to two transnational criminal organizations. Rahimov has never faced charges.

With no other candidate running, it appears the federation is on a collision course with the IOC. The consequences of the battle between the IOC and the federation would very likely impact boxing’s place on the general Olympic program, as early as Tokyo 2020.

Already the IOC has suspended payments to AIBA and has warned that the sport could be cut from the Tokyo Olympics. Last month, Around the Rings was told by a source in Lausanne that the IOC will come down hard on AIBA if Rahimov is elected at the Nov. 2-3 congress in Moscow.

Sirek Konakbayev, the president of the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, had attempted to secure the 20 nominations needed to stand for the AIBA presidency. A source close to the situation told ATR that Konakbayev could appeal his absence from the ballot, but it is likely he did not secure enough nominations in time.

"This is a very important step for the new AIBA," Tom Virgets, AIBA Executive Director, said in a statement about the candidates for AIBA positions. "We have been working hard to establish a well-planned, transparent and on-time system, of which we can be proud. With all the preparations being on track, we can be sure that the congress will take place in the most efficient way. I am looking forward to welcoming all of our Members Federations in Moscow next month."

The IOC is expected to discuss the developments in the AIBA election during its Executive Board meeting today in Buenos Aires.

Two Former Administrators Banned

The AIBA Executive Committee voted to ban former President CK Wu and former Executive Director Ho Kim for life.

The committee vote, communicated by statement, said that there was a "documented gross negligence and financial mismanagement" from both administrators. A report from forensic investigators K2 Intelligence was the impetus behind the ban.

The AIBA Congress must still vote to uphold the ban on the two individuals.

The executive committee also voted to suspend Franco Falcinelli from his boxing related positions. Falcinelli is on the AIBA Executive Committee, and is president of the European Boxing Confederation. On the AIBA full list of approved candidates Falcinelli is listed as running unopposed for AIBA vice-president from the European region.

Written by Aaron Bauer

For general comments or questions, click here .

25 Years at # 1: Your best source for news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com , for subscribers only.