Ninvalle overcomes AIBA Executive Committee storm to thwart suspension

Oct 14, 2018 Sports

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President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Steve Ninvalle has come out unscratched after a battle with the Executive Committee of AIBA.
Ninvalle took on the rest of the Executive Committee of AIBA and recently won a disciplinary case as the EC sought to have him suspended as a member of the important body.
The Guyanese was represented by Senior Council K. Juman Yassin and Teni Housty who successfully argued that their client was innocent of the charges brought against him by the Executive Committee in July.
The charges stem from heated email and WhatsApp exchanges in June and early July between Caribbean administrators in relation to the hand-picking of three persons from the region to present a proposal on the Year of the Caribbean to the Executive Committee in Abu Dhabi last July.
Some of the exchanges were leaked to the American Boxing Confederation (AMBC) and AIBA by two named Caribbean administrators. Ninvalle was provisionally suspended as an Executive Committee Member on July 12 pending a decision by the AIBA Disciplinary Committee.
“We do not believe however, that Mr. Ninvalle’s intentions were with malice towards AIBA,” Barry Jones, AIBA Disciplinary Panel Chair wrote on October 9th. “Accordingly, Mr. Ninvalle’s provisional suspension is hereby lifted and he is reinstated as an EC member with all attendant rights, duties and responsibilities,” Jones added.
Contacted yesterday Ninvalle declared that he was never in doubt that the charges brought against him were frivolous at best. “I honestly expected much better. The charges had no merit, no foundation, no substance and taking all the aforementioned into consideration it would be prudent to ponder if there were/are other motives.”
“The entire scenario has made the Caribbean a tighter bunch as we now know, without any measure of uncertainty, who in our group can be trusted,” Ninvalle said.
“You must be aware that it takes years to build trust and it can be gone in a second. This episode was brought on us by us. We have no one else to blame. But, the Bible says out of evil cometh good. The good is that we are now a stronger and much wiser region with a bond that is stronger than any association. Of course I expect, and am prepared for many more battles as I don’t have the same choir sheet as others,” the GBA boss added.
“I wish to thank some of my Caribbean colleagues for sticking by my side while I was in the line of fire and also Mr. Juman Yassin and Teni Housty for their expert legal work which allowed vindication,” Ninvalle concluded.
Meanwhile, several Caribbean administrators and some in Africa applauded the lifting of the suspension.
So what was the “SIN” committed by Steve Ninvalle?” asked former President of the Caribbean Boxing Association Grenadian Ralph James. “The claim by the AIBA Executive Committee was that Mr. Ninvalle violated certain provisions of the AIBA Disciplinary Code based on the content of various e-mail messages among Caribbean colleagues. Note, this was a case of exchanges among Caribbean colleagues, a totally internal matter with no malice just strong views,” James said.
“While I do not wish to name those who leaked those emails at this time, it was always my opinion which I expressed publicly that the charge against Mr. Ninvalle was mischievous, downright laughable and just “fake”.
“One has to recall that those of us from the region who attended the 2014 AIBA Congress in Jeju, South Korea, presented a united front to ensure “our guy” Steve Ninvalle was elected to the AIBA EC as the regions representative. He was our choice, the Caribbean’s choice.
From that time to the present, President Ninvalle has consistently sought the views and opinions of his Caribbean colleagues for consensus on matters of critical importance and far reaching implications for the Caribbean. He pontificated the “One Caribbean One Voice” concept as the only way to influence positive change for the region,” James declared.
“It is conceivable that the high command within AIBA who were focused on solidifying their positions were cognizant that this “One Caribbean One Voice” concept had the potential to shift the balance of power in an upcoming elections as was the case in 2006, and, that to the “conceptual Goliaths” of Boxing had to land a preemptive strike against “David” (Steve Ninvalle) hence his ill -conceived suspension.”
Today the boxing fraternity is still searching for answers as to why would the Americas Boxing Confederation AMBC-AIBA covertly hand-pick a group of three individuals in the Caribbean to deliver a presentation on the needs of the region without consultation with Mr. Ninvalle.
It is alleged that the top brass of the AIBA EC were of the belief that Mr. Steve Ninvalle would have been a walk over and a yes man when he was elected in 2014. However, during the debacle that lead to the “over throw/forced resignation” of former AIBA President and IOC member Dr. C.K. Wu by the AIBA EC, Ninvalle proved his worth as a level headed independent thinking member. He was able to walk the straight and narrow and remained natural despite the pressures from all fronts.
“The fact is the Dr. Wu/AIBA EC matter was before the Courts in Switzerland and Steve’s position on the matter was honorable. It was simple, that is, the region should await a decision of the Court and not take sides. It was the decent and ethical position to adapt, but, evidently his stance angered some members of the AIBA EC.
The Guyana Boxing Association and the people of the Guyana ought to be proud of their countryman and his attorney. This is a sweet but sobering victory not just for Mr. Ninvalle but the region. We must now galvanize all the support we can to ensure that he is re-elected to the AIBA EC come November 3.”
President of the Trinidad Boxing Association Cecil Forde while applauding the suspension insisted that those responsible for undermining Caribbean Unity must be dealt with.
“The Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association congratulates Mr. Ninvalle for the hard won battle in having his good name cleared. AIBA at the end showed good faith and must be commended for doing the right thing. Those among us who sought to undermine Mr. Ninvalle and the Caribbean as a whole must be dealt with appropriately. The Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association has all confidence in Mr. Ninvalle’s leadership and he has our full support in making sure our beloved sport of boxing continues to develop in the region,” Forde said.
Outspoken President of the St Lucia Boxing Association, David ‘Shakes’ Christopher believes the charges brought against the Guyanese were part of a plan to silence the region’s most vocal voice. “It is clear that within the last year Mr. Ninvalle has been a marked man. He is not a yes man and has stood up for the Caribbean. We are proud of that, and we see the lifting of this suspension as a significant victory not only for the Caribbean but also for Steve, the creator of Nuff Cuff. Steve has shown us that we must stop running scared and bowing, and rather stand firm and be counted,” Christopher stated.
David Pinea of the Angola Boxing Federation conveyed his association’s satifaction with the throwing out of the suspension.
“We are very happy to know that your provisional suspension has been lifted and dismissed. As you know, the EC decision was motivated by the fact that you did not accept to be a puppet so you had to pay with the biased suspension,” Pinea wrote in a release.
AIBA heads to its most turbulent elections next month in Moscow. Already one presidential candidate Kazakhstan’s Serik Konakbayev has filed an urgent appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) against his expulsion as a presidential candidate.
The International Olympic Committee has warned that boxing could face the axe at the 2020 Olympics if current interim AIBA president Gafur Rakhimov is elected in Moscow to run AIBA.

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