Russian Umar Kremlev was yesterday reelected president of the International Boxing Association (IBA) by acclamation.
Kremlev, who won the presidency in 2020 was the only candidate after an independent panel ruled on Thursday that his challenger Boris van der Vorst, was ineligible.
The independent vetting panel had investigated complaints against Van der Vorst which included collaboration with officials that were standing for other positions in the organization which were deemed “prohibited.”
Van der Vorst had challenged the decision but the Court for Arbitration subsequently upheld the independent panel’s decision making it a foregone conclusion that Kremlev would have a second term in office.
Kremlev’s new presidential term is set to end in 2026 since he had been completing the rest of Gafur Rakhimov’s term.
He was elected in 2020 after Rakhimov resigned in the wake of allegations that he was involved in heroin trafficking.
Delegates from The Bahamas, Guyana, Egypt and Jordan were among those congratulating Kremlev on the floor.
Kremlev had been able to seek reelection despite the sanctions meted out to Russian athletes and teams as a result of the country’s war against Ukraine.
Yesterday the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a statement on Kremlev’s reelection.
“The events surrounding IBA’s general assembly, in particular the elections, merit careful analysis and are just reinforcing the questions and doubts around IBA’s governance,” it said in a statement.
