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Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is currently the most prominent Ukrainian boxer
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The boxing world association IBA temporarily suspended Ukraine before the Extraordinary Congress.
As the IBA announced following the meeting of its board of directors in Yerevan, Armenia, this was due to state interference in the work of the national association.
The Ukrainian federation reacted with outrage to the measure in a letter from Kyiv on Saturday and called on all IBA member federations to refuse the consent of Congress required for the suspension according to the statutes.
The IBA stressed that the suspension will not affect Ukrainian athletes.
These should continue to be able to take part in competitions and be supported by the world association.
The Ukrainian IBA Vice President Volodymyr Prodywus was appointed as coordinator for this.
Criticism of the association behind the Olympic boxing tournament
The IBA is holding an extraordinary congress this Sunday in Yerevan, where a new president could be elected.
The world association, which organizes the amateur boxing world championships and usually also the Olympic boxing tournaments, has been led by the Russian Umar Kremlev since 2020.
He is considered a close confidant of his predecessor Gafur Rachimov from Uzbekistan, who had to resign from office due to allegations of corruption.
Due to the irregularities in the association, which has also been criticized for its financial dependence on the Russian energy company Gazprom, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had withdrawn the IBA from hosting the Olympic tournament before the Tokyo 2021 Games.
In 2024 in Paris, too, the IBA is not allowed to appear as an organizer after Kremlev was initially confirmed in office in May in a vote without admitted opponents.
According to the IBA announcement, the member associations in Yerevan must vote on the need for new elections.
If they vote against, Kremlev will remain in office for another four years.
The Ukrainian association wrote in its letter that it had learned about its suspension from the media.
He was not given the opportunity to comment on the allegations before the board.
"We are convinced that the suspension is just an attempt to silence the Ukrainian boxing community," wrote federation president Kyrylo Shevchenko.
At the same time, he objected to Prodywus being appointed as coordinator by the board.
"This is appalling and unacceptable," he wrote.
And further: "How can he coordinate Ukrainian boxers if he fled Ukraine seven months ago?"
cev/dpa
