The International Olympic Committee has frozen planning for the boxing tournament at Tokyo 2020 and started a process that could see it completely cut ties with the International Boxing Association (AIBA). But in a move that will reassure boxers, the IOC issued a statement that said it will “make all efforts to protect the athletes and ensure that a boxing tournament can take place at Tokyo 2020 regardless of these measures”. Boxing has been an Olympic sport since 1904 and Great Britain is third on the all-time medal table with high hopes for more success in Tokyo. Rakhimov’s legal status in the US is clearly one of the key concerns for IOC president Thomas Bach but the Olympic boss is also understood to be deeply worried about AIBA’s financial position. It is time to turn the page and look further to the development of boxing worldwide.

Source: The Irish Times November 30, 2018 10:30 UTC