AIBA says it has made "incredible progress" despite Olympic uncertainty

LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The ruling body of amateur boxing (AIBA) said that she had achieved "incredible progress" in resolving her financial and governance problems, having been warned that "no one is going to get away from it." she could not miss the Olympics next year.

AIBA Executive Director, Tom Virgets, acknowledged to reporters Tuesday that the badociation had been an "absolute mess" at one point and that she was lucky not to have lost the recognition of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

But, while AIBA was ready to send a report to an IOC investigating commission on Thursday, Virgets said that "significant progress" had been made.

The IOC Executive Board said in November that planning for the Olympic Boxing Tournament had been frozen and contacts between AIBA and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee had been suspended.

The IOC has also launched a survey of AIBA, based in Switzerland, which has been in turmoil for years and who doubted its financial viability.

The IOC also noted that AIBA President Gafur Rahimov, elected in November, was on the US Treasury Department's sanctions list "for providing material support" to a criminal organization, claiming that Uzbekistan is challenging firmly.

"The AIBA is an easy target and it's a position we deserved," said Virgets, appointed in March. "We were in an absolute mess … quite frankly, the IOC should have thrown us out around 2014/15."

However, he added: "As an organization, we have made incredible progress over the last few months and I am not sure if it has been recognized."

Virgets said that AIBA had stepped up its anti-doping program and was "100% compliant" with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards.

This is to be compared to the situation in 2014 when he stated that AIBA had only performed three out-of-competition tests, which in his opinion was "absolutely unacceptable".

"The AMA should have thrown us under the bus," he added.

Virgets said AIBA had also responded to concerns about judging the fighting by using five judges instead of three, with panels randomly chosen by a computer.

Boxers also had the right to challenge decisions, he said, although they must be "specific" and timely.

On the financial side, he said that AIBA's debt had been reduced from $ 18 million last year to $ 15.6 million this year, and that it would be eliminated within four years if the Boxing was included in the Olympics next year.

Aiba's non-Olympic revenue of $ 20 million over four years could be "easily" raised to about 30 million euros, he added.

Virgets said that spending was also under control – another concern after AIBA spent all of its $ 20 million in 2016 Olympic Games revenue in less than two years.

"All the money that was expected to last from 2016 to 2020 was spent in mid-2017," he said, adding that this year's budget had been reduced to $ 5.7 million.

He added that Rahimov had never been charged or convicted and was fighting for his name to be removed from the US Treasury Department's list.

"We have a president who, under his leadership, has given this organization a positive orientation for the first time since before 2014," he added.

(Written by Brian Homewood Edited by Christian Radnedge)

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