MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has pointed out Russia’s significant contribution to the development of the boxing sport, which is currently in a very difficult situation, AIBA Interim President Mohamed Moustahsane said in an open letter to all national boxing federations.
"I would like to make a special mention for our National Federations that are continuing to develop our sport and remain fully supportive to our organization even in these difficult times," Moustahsane stated. "Also, a special thanks to the Russian Boxing Federation for playing an active role in AIBA."
"Just this year, they have already organized two major events, the International Boxing Day and the Global Boxing Forum," he said. "In this tough period, they have also taken the responsibility to conduct the 2019 AIBA Men’s and Women’s World Championships and many other events to promote the sport of Boxing."
The 2019 AIBA World Championship is scheduled to be held in the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg between September 8 and 21.
"The General Secretary of the Russian Boxing Federation Umar Kremlev has made significant progress in his country in two years, demonstrating his dedication to our sport," Moustahsane continued. "He has done a lot giving support to regional federations, helping veterans and providing coaches and Olympic champions with monthly scholarships."
"Many of these reforms and new ideas should also be implemented in AIBA," the AIBA interim president added.
AIBA Executive Committee is gathering for an extraordinary meeting on August 31 in Turkey’s Istanbul. The Executive Committee is set to assign the date for the AIBA Congress, which will elect the organization’s new president.
The Executive Committee will also elect a new interim president at its meeting in Istanbul. Moustahsane, who held this post since March 23, announced his resignation in early August.
On November 30, 2018, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) halted all planning for the 2020 Olympic boxing competitions in Tokyo. That decision followed an investigation into AIBA’s activities.
The IOC claimed at that time that the organization’s financial operations, management and ethics raised suspicions. The IOC also voiced its concern over Gafur Rakhimov’s appointment to the post of the president of AIBA, claiming the boxing official from Uzbekistan had been targeted by the US Treasury Department and was suspected of connections with an international criminal network.
The AIBA Executive Committee announced on March 23 its decision to appoint Mohamed Moustahsane of Morocco to the post of the AIBA Interim President in place of Rakhimov.
In late June, the International Olympic Committee ruled at its 134th session in Lausanne to strip the world’s governing boxing body AIBA of its Olympic status, but also made a decision to keep the sport of boxing on the program of the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
The organization of the boxing tournament in Tokyo will be managed by a special IOC body, led by Morinari Watanabe, an IOC member and the chair of the ad-hoc Boxing Task Force.