A page is turning for AIBA. Meeting in an extraordinary congress, the world boxing body took the historic decision to change its name. It is now called IBA, an acronym for International Boxing Association. In itself, nothing very spectacular, the AIBA not being the first body of the Olympic movement to give itself a name more in tune with the times. But in his case, the change is accompanied by a new set of governance reforms developed by independent experts, led by the Canadian Richard McLaren and the German Ulrich Haas. Amendments to the statutes adopted by the extraordinary congress include the creation of an independent Integrity Unit, which is expected to be operational during 2022; the passage of the IBA board of directors from 28 to 18 members, after the elections scheduled for June 30; or the establishment of strict criteria and in-depth eligibility checks for candidates for this board of directors. As a bonus, a new visual identity has been revealed, intended to reinforce the commercial impact of the instance. Comment from IBA President, Russian Umar Kremlev: “ We are doing much more than making significant improvements to our governance. We are changing our entire culture in a lasting way. The new IBA is ready to serve the boxers of today and tomorrow, and all those who support them. " This " new culture » from the world boxing body will it convince the IOC? The future of boxing at the Olympic Games depends on it. As a reminder, boxing is not yet formally on the program for the Los Angeles 2028 Games, the IOC Executive Board having decided last week to put the discipline aside, just like modern pentathlon and weightlifting. To integrate the program, the new IBA will have to meet the expectations and requirements of the Olympic body by the IOC session in 2023.
