Latest update April 13th, 2025 6:34 AM
AIBA President waives annual fees by members for 2021, regional bodies applaud move
Umar Kremlev
David Christopher
Kaieteur News – National boxing federations and associations affiliated to AIBA will have a chance to breathe some financial fresh air as the world governing body has waived the payment of the annual US$250 membership fees this year.
Due to the Covid pandemic AIBA will not be collecting annual fees for 2021, a statement from the organization said. “Only in unity with the national federations will we be able to achieve all the ambitious goals that AIBA is facing. Our task is not to take money from our members but to help them in everything. We have established new membership criteria to ensure good governance, integrity and transparency,” recently elected AIBA president Umar Kremlev of Russia said.
The move is expected to cost AIBA over US$50,000 as the organization has 203 members and three of the leading figures in Caribbean boxing have come out in support of the move. Vice president of the Americas Boxing Confederation and president of the Guyana Boxing Association Steve Ninvalle hailed the wavier as a simple move with significant impact.
“We have countries in the region who were struggling to pay fees so this comes as breath of fresh air. Umar Kremlev has hit the ground running. His modus operandi is that of more action and less talk. It is just over a month since his election and the entire world of boxing is already benefiting. The child is the father of man,” Ninvalle said yesterday.
Steve Ninvalle
“There will be many more positive changes in boxing and again I will caution that it will not be business as usual. The time has come for us all to roll up our sleeves as there is a lot of work to be done to right our boxing ship. Luckily, our captain who has accepted the offer is competent enough to complete the task. On behalf of the Guyana Boxing Association I would like to say a hearty thank you to president Kremlev and his team and to reassure him that he has our full support,” Ninvalle added.
President of the St Lucia Boxing Association, David ‘Shakes Christopher, a staunch supporter of Kremlev during last years election applauded the new initiative noted, “Last year Cecil Forde (of Trinidad), Steve Ninvalle (of Guyana) and myself, who I now refer to as the Three Wise Men openly and publicly supported Mr. Kremlevs election bid. We were and still are without a doubt that he was/is the man for the job. This new move is a most welcome gesture on behalf of our new president. It shows that Mr. Kremlev means what he says. He is a president for all. Those who did not vote for him will still benefit from his vision,” Christopher declared.
“Its a step in the right direction and from the bottom of my heart and on the behalf of my executive, officials and boxers I want to thank Mr. Kremlev for reaching out and looking out for us, not only in the Caribbean, but all over the world. I am proud to have been one who raised my two hands early and voted for him.”
Meanwhile, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association Cecil Forde said: “The TTBA is one of three countries in the Caribbean that openly supported Mr. Kremlev for the presidency of AIBA. One of his first decisions he has made is to remove the yearly membership fees that has become a burden to most national federations. We applaud him for this. In 2019, even before he announced his intentions to run for the presidency, he was a guest at the Caribbean Championship held in Trinidad and Tobago and gave his full support. The TTBA pledges to give him and his staff our full support and we remain positive that he is the person to make amateur boxing great again.”
Kremlev has taken over a body fraught with problems and financial improprieties which saw the previous executive having to demit office in unpleasant circumstances and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) sanctioning the body. This resulted in an interim body running AIBA until the recently held elections in which Kremlev won.
He took the helm with the organisation in disarray and promised to do his best with the help of all to clear heavy financial debt and turn around the fortunes of the organisation.
This waiver of fees is among the first set of his efforts to reach the member association and federations with several others on the cards for this year and beyond as the amateur boxing world prepare for serious work to reverse and improve their tattered image and struggling fortunes.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
The mirage of citizen investment
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- The latest song and dance from the corridors of political power in Guyana comes wrapped... more
The U.S. “Joining” the Commonwealth: an unreasonable expectation
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- Recent media stories have suggested that King Charles III could “invite” the United... more
Weekend Cartoon
