There is always something happening in the world of Olympic boxing. The episodes follow one another without responding to the slightest established order, leaving an impression of chaos which the actors seem to adapt to as second nature.
The latest one certainly deserves to be in the top 10. Tuesday January 14, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the Dutchman Boris van der Vorst (photo above, standing), candidate for the presidency of the International Boxing Federation (IBA, formerly AIBA) before being excluded from the ballot for alleged irregularities, should have been eligible.
His exclusion from the vote was not justified, said the judges hearing the case. He should have been able to stand before the voters against the outgoing president, the Russian Umar Kremlev, last Saturday May 14 in Istanbul.
According to the CAS, the irregularities alleged against Boris van der Vorst – having campaigned before the official opening – were minor. They in no way justified his exclusion from the vote. The court based in Lausanne delivered the same verdict concerning the other plaintiffs, three leaders applying for official functions within the IBA, who were also pushed out before the election.
Boris van der Vorst and the three others excluded barely deserved “ a light sanction such as a warning“, or even not the slightest sanction, suggests the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Better: the CAS considers in its judgment, published Tuesday June 14, that the outgoing president, Umar Kremlev, is guilty of the same offenses. He too would have campaigned outside the authorized period. However, he was not sanctioned. Alone in the running for the highest office, he was re-elected by acclamation for the highest office.
Recall of facts. President of the Dutch Boxing Federation, Boris van der Vorst traveled to Istanbul for the extraordinary IBA congress, from May 13 to 15, with the stated ambition of debunking Umar Kremlev and taking the chair as president of the IBA.
The only rival of the incumbent, he was not given a favorite. But the geopolitical context – the conflict in Ukraine – could serve its interests. Above all, he offered an alternative to an outgoing president, Umar Kremlev, singled out by the IOC as a threat to the Olympic future of boxing.
On the eve of the vote, there was a twist in Istanbul: the Independent Boxing Integrity Unit (BIIU) declared the Dutchman ineligible. Boris van der Vorst rushed to contact the CAS to try to delay the election. But his request was rejected. The next day, Umar Kremlev won without even having to go to the polls.
With the election over and the results announced, Boris van der Vorst did not put his gloves away. He appealed to the CAS. One month to the day after the election, the court has just ruled in his favor.
Question: Will Umar Kremlev have to give up the keys to his presidential office, at least temporarily? At this stage of the series, the answer lacks clarity.
When the CAS judgment was announced, the IBA soberly explained in a press release published on its website: take note » of the court's decision. The authority specifies that it “ will seek legal advice on its implications and consider appropriate action on June 24", date of the next meeting in Lausanne of its board of directors. But she recalls that the decision to exclude the four candidates was taken by an independent body.
In the opposing camp, the four complainants declared that they “ look forward to cooperating with the IBA to restore the election process, as soon as possible“. The message is clear: Boris van der Vorst wants a new election. He hopes so as soon as possible. And intends to try his luck again.
For the IOC, the CAS verdict sounds like good news. The Olympic body has never hidden that it does not have the slightest confidence in Umar Kremlev to hold the reins of boxing. The prospect of seeing the Russian leave the scene and the IBA change governance will undoubtedly not displease him.
But the scenario of a new election, and especially of a defeat for Umar Kremlev, is far from already being written. Boxing and its leaders have always been able to surprise people.
