Lausanne: In a press release dated today, AIBA announced that it fully endorses IOC Ethics Programme rulings vis-a-vis the case involving Irish Boxers Michael John Conlan & Steve Gerard Donnelly and British Boxer Antony Fowler, during Olympic Boxing event. Endorsing the findings, AIBA has come out with new educational initiatives for boxers in development alongside National Federations.
Earlier, the International Olympic Committee had, on September 28, announced sanctions on three athletes for betting during Olympic competitions in Rio 2016. In the ruling, it was recommended to make sure that its rules and regulations for its own competitions comply with the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions and to put in place education programmes on the prevention of the manipulation of competitions and betting on the Olympic Games, using the material provided to the International Federations by the IOC.
The AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu underlined his support for the Disciplinary Commission’s findings related to the development of a new educational programme for National Federations and their boxers. Speaking about the issue, Wu said, “AIBA has always been acutely aware of its responsibilities to preserving the Olympic values and codes of conduct within our sport and we are fully behind the IOC’s statement regarding the boxers in question. The actions of a very small minority at Rio 2016 have shown that what we believed to be a very clear message still needs some reinforcing: that betting on bouts by boxers is unacceptable, and certain behaviours need to be eradicated.”
Adding further about the education programmes, the AIBA president said, “The educational programmes we are now developing with the cooperation of our 200 National Federations will make Rio 2016 be seen as a watershed for our sport in the years to come. These specific cases will now be brought to our own Disciplinary Commissions as we discuss the best path forwards to ensuring that all of our athletes are fully aware of their responsibilities with regard to AIBA competitions and Olympic values.”
Following this official statement, the AIBA Disciplinary Commission will convene in Lausanne in the coming weeks to work out a clear and comprehensive educational programme alongside its national federations and Confederations outlining the responsibilities of all boxers to the AIBA and the IOC codes of conduct. These programmes will guide the boxers through the code to be followed at the tournaments and large scale sporting events.
