Muhangi speaks out on IBA’s fate after IOC expulsion

Uganda Boxing Federation president Moses Muhangi is not surprised by how the impasse between the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has panned out.

On Tuesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected IBA’s appeal against the IOC’s decision to expel the boxing governing body from the Olympic movement.

After a long dispute over IBA’s financial transparency and sustainability, including revenue diversification, the IOC on June 22, 2023, withdrew its recognition of IBA and thus took over Olympic boxing, including the qualifying tournaments for Paris 2024 and the Olympic tournament itself.

The IBA petitioned the “political” decision requesting the CAS, to "annul and revoke it in its entirety. But the CAS, the supreme sports appeals court, rejected the decision citing that “In its final decision, the CAS panel found that, at the time of the contested decision, the IBA had not fulfilled the conditions set by the IOC for recognition."

Recently, the IOC announced that if boxing remained without a recognised governing body, it would be excluded from the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic programme.

But the IBA insisted on "using all legal means to prove that we are right." The IOC reiterated that "the IBA will not be involved in any way if boxing is part of the LA28 Olympic Games". The IBA said the IOC has no alternative, calling IOC's decisions "politicised".

Muhangi, a close ally of IBA president Umar Kremlev, is not surprised, “because I anticipated everything that the IOC is doing.” And according to his February 17, 2023 strategic plan proposal to the IBA, its dispute with the IOC, is a secondary issue.

“The primary battle is for IBA to make sure its National Federation will stand by and comply with the IBA directives during this IOC situation and this where our focus, efforts, energy and resources should be directed to,” he concluded.

USA, Great Britain, Netherlands, Italy, among strong boxing nations denounced the IBA and joined World Boxing, a breakaway faction that seeks to replace the IBA. Nigeria is so far the only African nation among the defectors.

“We need to make IBA more attractive to not only the boxers but also the NFs and their respective governments.”