Latest update January 1st, 2025 1:00 AM
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Guyana will not boycott IBA World Championships – Ninvalle
Kaieteur News – With a growing list of countries boycotting the International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championship in India (Women) and Uzbekistan (Men), the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) president Steve Ninvalle, said the country will support and attend the prestigious event.
The Netherlands became the latest nation to join a boycott of the IBA World Championships because of the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Despite International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommendations to the contrary because of the war in Ukraine, the IBA – led by Russian official Umar Kremlev – lifted a ban on national symbols and the participation of athletes from both countries in October last year.
USA Boxing was the first national governing body who opted against sending teams to next month’s IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi and the Men’s World Boxing Championships in Tashkent in May because of the presence of Russia and Belarus and wider governance concerns under Kremlev.
Ireland, Czech Republic, Canada, and Sweden have since publicly declared their intention to follow suit, as well as Britain from the upcoming Women’s World Championships as a minimum.
Ninvalle, speaking to Kaieteur News, pointed out, “Like any family, there will be disagreements,” while noting “but the IBA is governed by rules, and as such, Guyana will follow those rules regardless of who is at the head of the IBA.”
“We (Guyana) have committed our boxers to attend the World Championships, and that’s what we will do,” Ninvalle said.
“Attending the World Championships is a must,” Ninvalle said, “We’ve sent teams to the last two World Championships, but this time around we are also attending the Women’s World Championship. That is for certain.”
Ninvalle pointed out that Abiola Jackman will be heading to New Delhi as the GBA shifts their focus and attention to give more exposure to their skilled female boxers.
FLASH BACK! President of GBA, Steve Ninvalle, shakes hands with IBA president Umar Kremlev (left), at a meeting in Yerevan, Armenia.
The GBA president has publicly supported Kremlev during his election and re-election bid, while on the political side, Guyana and Russia share a long history of a good relationship, with the establishment of the Russian Embassy in Georgetown in 1970.
According to reports, the IBA’s ties with Russian majority-state-owned energy giant Gazprom also came under fire after the renewal of a sponsorship deal prompted a warning from the IOC that boxing could be dropped altogether from Paris 2024, having already been left off the initial programme for Los Angeles 2028.
The Swiss Boxing Federation is a member of the Common Cause Alliance. Their boycott also applies to other events where Russia and Belarus will be present, including the European Boxing Confederation Youth Men’s and Women’s European Boxing Championships in Yerevan in April.
The IBA – formerly AIBA – has been suspended by the IOC since 2019 because of ongoing governance concerns, and relations have hit an all-time low following Kremlev’s re-election.
It has pledged to provide financial assistance for athletes from countries boycotting the World Championships to enable them to participate.
Kremlev has described officials who voted to boycott the World Championships as “worse than hyenas and jackals”.
The IOC has insisted its sanctions on Russia and Belarus including a ban on national symbols would remain in place even if “protective measures” on athlete participation are lifted.
Meanwhile, the IBA announced that World Boxing Championships in New Delhi and Tashkent will be the main qualification events for Paris 2024.
According to amateur boxing’s global-governing body, they intend to give all athletes the right to compete at the World Boxing Championships and not be the victim of the political games of a few National Federations.
“The IBA uses an open process for registration for athletes from the boycotting nations to compete at the World Boxing Championships.”
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