IABA pull out of World Championships telling the IBA that they need to follow recommended reforms

Brussels Sprout

The IABA have pulled Ireland's boxers out of the upcoming world championships telling the IBA that they need to reform:

The IABA urges the IBA to engage in governance reform and implement the recommendations of its own experts on fiscal responsibility, fair play, and inclusion. IBA practices and activities are not of the standard required to secure our sport’s future.

There are no winners in the current landscape. All members deserve a level playing field in tournaments run to the highest possible standard by an organization which has their welfare, their futures, and their sport at its heart.

source

This lofty moral position by the IBA is completely undermined by the fact that the Irish government have recently told them that they themselves need to get their own house in order

THE IRISH ATHLETIC Boxing Association (IABA) will face “immediate and severe financial sanctions” if it doesn’t reform in line with recommendations put forward in a recently sanctioned independent report on its governance, sports minister Jack Chambers has said.

One of those recommendations is that the IABA adopt a new board structure in which half of its 12 board members would be independent. 

source

Strazdas

This IBA crowd sound well dodgy. We should consider ourselves very lucky that the IOC are organising qualification for Paris 2024 - this other crowd would clearly rig the results in favour of certain nations.

walshb

Seriously, why can’t we send our boxers and still challenge and question and try make things better.

It’s absolutely wrong to deny our young, dedicated and brilliant men and women their desire to box in international tournaments, representing their country.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120228498#Comment_120228498

Fear that our boxers might be screwed over perhaps? There might be a concern that our female boxers in particular going to the worlds and being on the receiving end of a load of dodgy decisions would be bad for team morale with Paris only a year away.

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120228522#Comment_120228522

No. Nothing to do with “a fear our boxers get screwed over.” With or without all this there are always going to be calls of corruption and robbery.

It’s incessant in boxing fight from 11 years of age up. I see and hear it all the time.

This is a bad decision by suits. Let our boxers box, and leave them out of your moral crusading. In other words, p1ss off!

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120228643#Comment_120228643

Why is it so rife in boxing, in your opinion?

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120230585#Comment_120230585

Claims of robbery and corruption? You’d have to ask the people shouting it every time a decision goes against their boxer. It’s a subjective judging based sport. Disagreements are inherent in this. And always will be.

kaymin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231100#Comment_120231100

You seem to think the recommendations of the IBAs own experts on fiscal responsibility, fair play, and inclusion have no merit?

walshb

I have no doubt IBA (like any other large global organization) has issues that need addressing.

Withdrawing our boxers from a global boxing tournament with pretty much no consultation with the boxers/clubs because of issues (issues that have been there years and will likely be there for more years) is wrong. And plenty plenty are of the same view if you read up on IABA postings.

Denying our boxers the chance to compete on the world stage here is not right.

kaymin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231158#Comment_120231158

You seem to have your head in the sand if you're claiming the IBA has only an average level of issues - are you familiar with Richard McLaren's report? Has anything been done to prevent a re- occurrence? At what point does one make a stand? Never it would seem per your posts.

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231194#Comment_120231194

Whatever.

Boycotting the WC here and denying dedicated and passionate boxers their chance to compete is wrong.

And there is a lot of disappointment and anger throughout clubs in Ireland.

IABA can challenge as much as they want, but do it in collaboration with allowing boxers box.

nobody is saying a stand can’t be taken.

kaymin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231228#Comment_120231228

You said yourself that the issues are there for years so taking the same approach as the last 6+ years is unlikely to change anything. Rio was an absolute joke - should we really send our athletes to another charade organised by these guys? Being passionate, hard working athletes that have made massive life sacrifices makes the impact of corrupt decisions all the more difficult to take.

walshb

Rio an absolute joke based off what, hype? Was there any conviction for any Rio based boxing verdict?

There were over 250 bouts boxed in Rio, and what, a small handful singled out for investigation. None shown to have involved cheating.

What exactly is the joke/revelation here? I’m at dozens tournaments every year and there are always a small number bouts where people are whingeing and moaning. That will NEVER change. It’s part of human nature in a subjective based sport.

and here we have a select few in IABA just pulling a trigger and sabotaging our boxers dreams. Disgraceful OTT decision/reaction.

kaymin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231308#Comment_120231308

I asked before but you didn't reply, are you familiar with Richard McLaren's report? Your post above suggests not.

https://www.mclarenglobalsportsolutions.com/Boxing-Investigation-Final.php

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231409#Comment_120231409

Quite familiar, yes.

if McLaren did reports on all boxing tournaments pre Rio he’d probably come up with similar…

IABA were wrong to do what they have done here. And I don’t care what report is cited. They were wrong.

kaymin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231522#Comment_120231522

You seem unfamiliar with the big picture.

'It is anticipated, however, that boxing will go ahead in Paris, but it could be confined to boxers from who have essentially broken away from the International Boxing Association.'

https://www.msn.com/en-ie/sport/boxing/usa-decision-to-boycott-world-boxing-championships-puts-spotlight-on-iaba/ar-AA17fQF1?li=BBr5HCU

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231586#Comment_120231586

Do you agree with IABA withdrawing our boxers from WC?

kaymin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231593#Comment_120231593

Yes for a number of reasons but particularly if it paves the way for their participation in the Paris Olympics and such participation would be jeopardised by a failure to withdraw from the WC. Also I expect quite a few other countries will withdraw before long.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231308#Comment_120231308

What seems to have happened here though is that these IBA guys are believed to be even more corrupt than any previous incarnation. For example, they are allowing Russian and Belarussian boxers compete in their competitions - there is a genuine fear that they are so corrupt that they could easily cause boxing to be removed from the 2028 Olympics. We're talking about criminal levels of corruption, gangsters in suits.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120226840#Comment_120226840

Whole sport is dodgy, even at Olympics level. Fellas betting against themselves etc etc

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231679#Comment_120231679

For sure, not to mention drug use in sport etc. But the boxing association appears to be institutionally corrupt, with even the officials and the head guy taking bribes or whatever (you could level that accusation at some people within the IOC itself of course).

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231100#Comment_120231100

I see from this and your other responses that I misread your original post. I thought you were saying that corruption and crooked judging was "incessant in boxing from a young age". I now realise that you meant complaining about it. That seems to be putting the cart before the horse.

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120236707#Comment_120236707

Exactly. No matter how honest and decent and disciplined and principled and professional referees and judges are you will always have assholes shouting robberies and corruption.