(Reuters) – The International Boxing Association (IBA) has acknowledged the resignation of the Swiss federation to join a rogue rival boxing organisation, it said on Thursday.
An IBA statement said SwissBoxing will join the newly formed boxing body that includes the United States and Britain in a breakaway aimed at securing the troubled sport’s Olympic future.
The announcement comes 10 days after the IBA suspended the federations from New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden, who also joined the Swiss-registered World Boxing in April.
The new world boxing federation intends to seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which suspended the Russian-led IBA in 2019.
“The example set by former IBA member USA Boxing has left their athletes without an opportunity to compete and win titles and earn money to support their love of the sport and the cost of living required to follow their dreams,” said the IBA.
“We now see SwissBoxing making the same mistake, and it is clear that these administrators do not think ahead and have blinders that prevent them from seeing the complete picture.”
Switzerland was among the countries that boycotted IBA events earlier this year over its decision to allow Russian and Belarusian boxers to compete.
The IBA said SwissBoxing violates their own neutrality statutes by involving politics with sport.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics after the 2024 Paris Games remains uncertain as the sport is not included in the initial programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, while the IOC has called for a number of pending reforms.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Ken Ferris)
