AIBA: IOC Funding suspended after President Wu's resignation
By Dr. Thilo Pachmann & Alexander Theiler[1]
About two weeks after the AIBA announcement resolving management issues within the boxing world governing body (see earlier posts), the IOC has, not unexpectedly, suspended the latest round of funding to AIBA, due to concerns over the body's governance and finances.
AIBA has been riddled with internal power struggles and financial issues for months with former President Ching Kuo Wu provisionally suspended by both the Internal Disciplinary Commission and the organisation's Executive Committee and finally stepping down on 20 November 2017 after a bitter struggle also played out before the Swiss Civil Courts. His resignation most likely came about due to pressure from the IOC itself.
Later, on 20 November 2017, it was also confirmed that Wu has resigned from his role in the IOC Executive Board, a position he has held since 2012.
"The IOC Executive Board has major concerns with regard to the situation in different aspects," IOC President Thomas Bach said in an IOC statement (published by www. behindthegames.biz) following the decision to suspend AIBA's funding.
"There are the governance issues, there is the fact that financial statements have not been made fully transparent, there are still questions open with regard to judging, refereeing and anti-doping, and therefore we have asked AIBA for a full report by the end of January."
"We want to see the measures AIBA is taking to address these issues. Until things will change the IOC will not make any financial contributions to AIBA."
All the AIBA National Member Federations are invited to convene on 27 January 2018 in Dubai to consider proposed governance reforms; this will take place only a few days before the IOC deadline to provide the full report on the AIBA's situation by the end of January 2018.
[1] Dr. Thilo Pachmann and Alexander Theiler of Pachmann Attorneys at Law, Zurich, Switzerland and can be reached by e-mail at ‘This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ’ and ‘This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ’
