Russia’s Kremlev defies Olympic concern to win boxing vote

Umar Kremlev of Russia was elected president of the troubled International Boxing Association (AIBA) on Saturday regardless of clear considerations of Olympic officers about his candidacy.

The governing physique, often called AIBA, mentioned Kremlev gained greater than 57% of the vote in a five-candidate contest involving 155 nationwide federations.

The International Olympic Committee final 12 months stripped the AIBA of its duty to organise boxing on the Summer Games amid considerations over the integrity of Olympic bouts, governance and finance.

It is way from clear that Kremlev’s victory will assist resolve AIBA’s primary problem — regaining that recognition earlier than the Paris Olympics in 2024. Boxing will happen on the Tokyo Olympics subsequent summer season, however the IOC has reduce AIBA out of organizing the boys’s and ladies’s tournaments and qualifying occasions subsequent 12 months.

IOC President Thomas Bach confirmed this week that AIBA had been made “well aware” of the Olympic physique’s considerations about some candidates, who he didn’t determine however was understood to incorporate Kremlev.

The IOC had been skeptical about Kremlev’s supply final 12 months to clear AIBA’s $16 million money owed if the game’s Olympic standing was retained. Kremlev has been head of the Russian Boxing Federation since 2017.

“Getting rid of AIBA’s debt will be the first priority,” Kremlev advised voters on Saturday, in a press release launched by the governing physique primarily based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“My administration will aim to raise USD 50 million within two years, all of which will be used to rebuild AIBA.” Kremlev will full the presidential time period of Gafur Rakhimov, who American authorities allege is concerned with worldwide heroin trafficking. Rakhimov has denied wrongdoing.

Rakhimov resigned months after being elected two years in the past by AIBA members who defied IOC warnings.