USA Boxing accuses IBA of trying to "sabotage" Olympic qualifiers
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Loading... - Stephanie Shaw
- 22 Feb 2023
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USA Boxing has accused the International Boxing Association (IBA) of an attempt to "sabotage" qualification for next year's Olympics in Paris after it went against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by releasing its own system for the Games.
A letter has been issued by USA Boxing executive director Mike McAtee to the national governing body's members condemning the IBA's Olympic qualification criteria as "false and misleading".
The IOC has stripped the IBA of the rights to run the boxing at Paris 2024, including qualification competitions, due to concerns over governance issues within the organisation.
The IBA said the IOC's decision to exclude the Women's and Men's World Championships was "not acceptable" and "against the principles of boxing", insisting that they will be the "main qualification events" under its own qualification system.
McAtee dismissed the IBA's announcement yesterday as "totally unacceptable" and reiterated that the two World Championships were "not a qualification pathway" to the Olympic Games.
"USA Boxing condemns in the strongest possible terms this attempt by IBA to confuse boxers from around the world, knowing full well that IBA is not associated with the International Olympic Committee nor the IOC's published qualification system," McAtee said.
