IBA slam IOC’s abuse of athletes in open letter, demands President Bach to resign

IBA President Umar Kremlev and Secretary General & CEO Chris Roberts OBE  have addressed the IOC Members in an open letter.

Dear IOC Members, 

On behalf of the global boxing community, I demand Thomas Bach and his team to resign immediately. During Bach’s administration tenure, the IOC has deteriorated considerably, ceasing to be an organization that unites athletes and serves our sports communities. Instead, it has become wealthy beyond imagination through artificial conflicts, which in turn is an insult to athletes. 

While the IOC leadership reside in luxury hotels, Olympic athletes live in sub-standard conditions, paying for their flights and hotels, and funding their own preparations, often staying hungry at competitions. Athletes are those who bring substantial income to the IOC, which is absolutely not acknowledged. Olympic medallists do not receive prize money, even though the IOC profits significantly from TV rights, sponsors, and ticket sales. It is obvious that this enormous profit is only possible because of the athletes, their coaches, and sports federations. This needs urgent change now. Athletes deserve prize money, and their coaches and National Federations should also be rewarded. 

Medallists should receive those ultimate prizes made of the corresponding metals. Currently, Olympic medals do not reflect their value, which is disrespectful to the athletes who train hard for many years and sacrifice so much to reach the highest level, not for the IOC’s enrichment. We also urge IOC Members to express a vote of no confidence in Thomas Bach, now, based on his management policies and clear abuse of power. A perfect example is Bach’s double standards towards Russia and Israel. Athletes should not be responsible for political decisions; they train and compete, which is hard and unrelated to those political games that he uses for his own personal gains. 

For instance, the International Friendship Association launched a brand-new event, the Friendship Games, capable of becoming a full-scale substitute for the Olympic Games. This event is designed in the best interests of the athletes, without political games or commercial profit motives or interests. The Friendship Games offer a prize money fund of $100 million USD, along with paid flights and accommodation, making a significant difference for the athletes compared to those of the Olympic Games. This is the attitude and treatment athletes deserve. 

The IOC should implement governance reforms to establish fair processes for IOC Member and Presidential elections. Key decisions should be taken by National Olympic International Boxing Association, Maison du Sport International, Avenue du Rhodanie, 54, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland Phone: +41 21 321 27 77 E-mail: info@iba.sport www.iba.sport 

Committees and International Federations, which are the beacons of the Olympic and sports movement. 

Finally, we stress that the IOC’s biased attitude towards the IBA is purely personal, we all know this, driven by Thomas Bach’s vengeance, which cannot be justified. As the IBA Family, we have become a true home for boxing, existing for the interests of boxers, coaches, and National Federations. There is no politics in our home, and there are no limitations for athletes to represent their flags and sing their anthems with dignity when they win. 

Given the current situation, you can no longer pretend everything is right with IOC governance. The recent presidential elections at the Olympic Council of Asia and the unprecedented pressure from the IOC leadership that followed are clear evidence of this. These circumstances led to one candidate, thoroughly selected by Thomas Bach, remaining in the presidential race, while the others were either deemed ineligible or withdrew while the legitimately elected President was removed earlier by Bach and his team. 

Former AIBA President CK Wu is corrupt and took bribes, leading the organization to collapse. Our statements are based on Prof. McLaren’s reports, which thoroughly studied CK Wu’s mismanagement that brought AIBA into a deep and almost insurmountable crisis. Back then, CK Wu was an IOC Member, an IOC EB Member, and Bach’s partner. We, the IBA Boxing Family, managed to save the IBA from bankruptcy and to elevate, achieving high levels of support for our boxers, including prize money and medals made of pure gold. Instead of following the IBA’s lead, the IOC leadership continues to undermine international sports. 

Once again, we re-affirm that the IBA will pay our athletes prize money based on their performance in Paris 2024. Additionally, we urge IOC Members to give athletes the opportunity to earn a living whilst performing. 

It’s time for change! We need to act! 

With great respect to the Olympic Family, 

Umar Kremlev 

President of International Boxing Association (IBA) 

Chris Roberts OBE 

Secretary General/CEO of International Boxing Association (IBA) 

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The IBA encourages you to send your complaints and appeals, including those regarding the infringement of athletes at the Olympic Games, to nocorruption@iba.sport. All responses will be read and actioned.

Credit: IBA