Sanctioning Bodies Come Together To Battle AIBA
The WBC launched a quest to unmask the imminent threats which AIBA´s actions pose to the detriment of boxing, and that task is ongoing.
Our President for life, Jose Sulaiman, actively searched for solutions, publicly challenging the IOC, and making the WBC's position crystal clear to national federations and the boxing community Worldwide. That journey will not end until, via united action, until we free amateur boxing from the monopolistic actions, restriction of trade and abuse of power that AIBA actively seeks.
This past December, the WBA, IBF and WBO joined the WBC to participate in an Investigative Committee. That Committee successfully identified the subterfuge and manipulation of the governing law in Spain, that the Spanish Boxing Federation (FEB) tried to implement to place boxing there at the mercy and under the sole control of AIBA.
The European Boxing Union (EBU) has joined the effort, and the five organizations are participating in workshops with the National Sports Ministry of Spain. Those sessions will result in the establishment of a National governing entity to oversee professional boxing. The FEB's activities are supposed to be limited to amateur boxing, which is controlled by AIBA.
So what is amateur boxing today? AIBA's attempts to control our sport have muddled and muddied that concept. AIBA has eliminated the word “Amateur” from their name, so amateur boxing, as we all knew it, doesn't exist anymore. That is precisely the point of our united struggle to unmask AIBA's nefarious goals.
AIBA has changed its role in the sport of boxing. While receiving the sole and exclusive authority from the IOC to handle Olympic boxing competitions, AIBA has abused that authority and has put a plan in place to sign exclusivity contracts with fighters. Those contracts are in fact commercial instruments geared to stage professional competitions while attempting to maintain the contractually bound boxers' eligibility to participate in the Olympic Games. Only those boxers who participate in a commercial contract with AIBA are eligible to compete in the Olympic Games!
AIBA has then proceeded to threaten the National boxing authorities of many countries to either work solely with themselves, or to be expelled from International competition and even the Olympic Games! There are countless documented examples of AIBA's reprehensive activities over the past few years.
AIBA should return to its roots which is to oversee the good practices of “amateur” boxing in the world, limiting its activities to: (1) work with National amateur entities; (2) organizing Olympic competition; and (3) dedicating its efforts to make such competitions as honorable as they were in the past.
The WBC is proud that the boxing governing organizations' Summit meetings have led to a united front from the WBC-WBA-IBF and in this case of Spain, the WBO has joined the efforts to protect the integrity of boxing.
