The IBA stands out. A habit. The international boxing body is the first – the only one to date – component of the sporting movement to follow in the footsteps of World Athletics and its decision, announced at the beginning of last month, to distribute bonuses to the medalists of the Paris Games 2024.
It explained it via a press release on Wednesday May 29: the podiums at the next Summer Games will be worth their weight in dollars for the best boxers in each category. But, without much surprise, the IBA pushes the envelope further than World Athletics.
Unlike athletics, where only the gold medalists will receive a bonus ($50.000), boxing will distribute its largesse to the three medalists. The sums are also higher: 100.000 dollars for gold, 50.000 for silver, 25.000 for bronze.
Finally, another difference with World Athletics, the IBA will not only reward athletes. The bonuses offered at the Paris 2024 Games will be shared with coaches and federations. An Olympic champion will receive half the amount (50.000), his coach will receive a quarter, his federation the same amount.
Another announcement: the bonuses will not only concern the three medalists. The IBA explains it through its president, the Russian Umar Kremlev: “Athletes beaten in the quarter-finals and who finished fifth will each receive $10.000, bringing the overall package to $3,1 million distributed to more than 100 boxers.”
Relieved of its recognition by the IOC since June 2023, the IBA is no longer directly concerned by the Paris 2024 Games. It has lost the organization of the Olympic tournament. Its leaders will not be present. Il will experience the event from a distance. But by announcing its decision to financially reward around a hundred boxers, including all the medalists, the body invites itself in its own way.
IBA even announced its decision to organize a special ceremony, after the Paris 2024 Games, to celebrate the medalists. “ The winners will receive their IBA prize once they have successfully passed the anti-doping procedures., it says.
Predictable: the IOC greeted with a tense expression the decision of the IBA to distribute more than 3 million dollars to the best boxers of the Paris 2024 Games. Requested by the agency TASS, the Olympic body responded the same day: “The IOC has taken note of the decision of the International Boxing Association (IBA) regarding the prizes. As always with the IBA, the origin of the money is unclear. This total lack of financial transparency is precisely one of the reasons why the IOC withdrew its recognition of the IBA. It was not prepared to transparently explain the sources of its funding or explain its financial dependence. »
