President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Steve Ninvalle has described today’s Extraordinary Congress of the International Boxing Association as a “pivotal” one.
Ninvalle, who is representing the local organization, said today’s event is “one of the most pivotal events” in international boxing.
Ninvalle is in Yerevan, Armenia for the IBA (formerly AIBA) Extraordinary Congress which could see incumbent Umar Kremlev coming up against Boris van der Vorst of Holland in a presidential run off today.
According to Ninvalle, eligible affiliated federations will first vote on whether there needs to be another election after Kremlev was reelected earlier this year.
“There was an election in Istanbul, Turkey in May where Mr. Kremlev was re-elected unopposed as president,” Ninvalle said.
Russian, Kremlev, who won the presidency in 2020, was reelected IBA president by acclamation after an independent panel ruled that van der Vorst was ineligible.
The independent 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,” the Reuters News Agency had reported.
The Dutchman subsequently appealed his exclusion to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and in June, the CAS ruled that barring him from participating in the elections were not justified.
Ninvalle said that affiliates will first have to vote on whether there is need for another election today.
“Only if that vote is successful will there be an immediate election,” he explained.
Kremlev was elected in 2020 after Gafur Rakhimov resigned in the wake of allegations that he was involved in heroin trafficking and barring another elections today, Kremlev’s term of office is set to end in 2026.
However, USA Boxing executive director Mike McAtee told Reuters recently that the IBA, frozen out by Olympic organisers, faced a crucial decision at today’s Extraordinary Congress as the future of the organization was at stake.
“It will be the end of IBA if we do not have an election, considering CAS ruled that we were all wrongfully removed and Boris was wrongfully removed,” McAtee told Reuters by telephone from Yerevan.
“It is my belief that if there is not an election, IBA will be permanently suspended or just removed by the IOC,” said McAtee, who is an ally of van der Vorst.
“The IOC, if you look at their letters, are very clear that if candidate Kremlev wins, IBA will be removed,” he said.
“Without being in the Olympics it will cut funding for every national federation and impact boxing all the way down to eight year old boxers in every country in the world. That’s how important it is to our sport.”
Ninvalle said today’s IBA vote will test the orgnaisations ability to withstand outside influence.
“To me this is one of the most pivotal events in boxing and in my personal opinion, will reveal if the IBA is capable of solving its own issues or if outside influence has the upper hand,” he declared.
