The International Olympic Committee voted overwhelmingly in June 2023 to strip the International Boxing Association of its recognized status, citing a pattern of governance failures, financial dependence on Russian state-owned Gazprom, and refusal to follow sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
The decision, taken by 69 votes in favor with one against, marked the harshest sanction in modern Olympic history against an international federation. IOC President Thomas Bach said the Olympic movement had no issue with boxing or its athletes, but that the IBA’s leadership had “completely neglected the principles of good governance and financial transparency.”
####Russian takeover and authoritarian management
According to a 400-page independent audit commissioned by the IOC, the IBA began losing its autonomy after Russian official Umar Kremlev took over in December 2020. Kremlev, closely tied to Russian state structures, imposed an authoritarian management style that suppressed internal opposition. The organization blocked alternative candidates, including Dutch official Boris van der Vorst, from standing in elections, cementing its financial and political dependence on the Kremlin.
The decisive step came in April 2021 when the IBA signed a sponsorship contract with Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy monopoly. The deal, worth up to USD 50 million, allowed the IBA to pay off about USD 16 million in old debts, but made the Russian company its sole general sponsor and main source of revenue. The contract was kept secret and never published in full, the audit found.
####Financial opacity and corruption
The independent audit concluded that the IBA failed to demonstrate financial independence and made false claims about diversifying its income. Investigators noted that the federation’s operational activities were partly moved from Switzerland to Russia and the United Arab Emirates.
Canadian forensic expert Richard McLaren, who led independent investigations into doping and corruption in sport, said financial opacity and dependence on one country’s funds fuel corruption and lead to loss of autonomy. The IBA case showed that when an international sports organization falls under the financial control of a state monopoly, it loses independence and stops fulfilling its core functions, McLaren stated.
####Systemic failures and scandals
Beyond financial dependency, the IBA failed to resolve long-standing systemic problems including biased judging and deep-rooted corruption, according to the IOC audit. New high-profile incidents under the IBA’s watch aggravated the situation, including a gender controversy at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
During 2022–2023, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the IBA leadership openly ignored IOC recommendations on sanctions. It not only refused to terminate the Gazprom contract but also allowed Russian and Belarusian boxers to compete under their national flags and anthems.
####Creation of World Boxing
After the IOC’s expulsion of the IBA from the Olympic movement, a new international organization called World Boxing was established. Its founder and first president is Dutch official Boris van der Vorst, who had been blocked from IBA elections. World Boxing’s leaders said the main goal is to restore democratic governance standards and transparency in Olympic boxing. The new federation aims to prevent the sport from becoming a closed club controlled by a single state.
