IOC raises concerns over inclusion of boxing in 2020 Tokyo Olympics

What's the story?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is looking into the working of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and has warned them that the sport may be removed from the 2020 Tokyo games if their governance doesn't improve.

In case you didn't know...

In the past also, IOC has voiced concerns over the working fo AIBA. Last week, they raised concern over the fact that one of the leading criminals of Uzbekistan has been made the interim president of an organization in charge of a reputed sport like boxing.

The heart of the matter

IOC suspended the funding for AIBA in December 2017 saying that they were not satisfied with the report that they had submitted. The submitted report included governance, refereeing and anti-doping related to amateur boxing across the world.

After a two-day meeting in Pyeongchang, the IOC has decided to uphold the decision they took in December and have launched an investigation led by their chief of ethics and compliance officer.

This decision comes as a big hit to many Indian boxers including Shiva Thapa and Mary Kom who were hoping to bag an Olympic medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

What's next?

The IOC reserves the right to review the inclusion of boxing in the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games and there is a very big chance that the fans won't be able to see the sport at the 2020 games unless AIBA takes some huge steps to improve their standards of working.

Author's take

It comes as a huge disappointment to all the fans of boxing all over the world and all the amateur boxers hoping to qualify for the Olympics. The Indian contingent would be hoping for a decision in their favour from the International Olympic Committee.