IBA chief demands apology from IOC for unfairly treating boxers

The International Boxing Association has demanded the Olympic governing body to apologize to athletes unfairly affected by its decision allowing controversial pugilist Imane Khelif to box at Paris 2024.

Among those deserving an apology from the International Olympic Committee, according to IBA, is Chinese boxer Yang Liu, who was overpowered by Khelif in a lop-sided Olympic final on Aug 9 to lose the women's 66kg gold medal to the Algerian at the Paris Games.

IBA President Umar Kremlev, speaking at a news conference in Istanbul on Wednesday, reiterated his stance against the IOC's permission on Khelif's Olympic eligibility, hitting out at former Olympic chief Thomas Bach for ignoring the IBA's pre-Games warning of Khelif's abnormal gender test results.

"We informed the IOC and provided them the documents (of the test results), but they broke those rules," Kremlev, a Russian sports administrator, said through an interpreter at the conference, which was held to launch the IBA Golden Era development projects.

"In my opinion, not giving back the medal, but to protect our female sport, we require them to apologize to female boxers publicly.

"Thomas Bach and his team have to apologize to female boxers and then take their responsibility.

"Leave the medals to the true sportswomen that deserved it," said Kremlev, who had urged the IOC to strip Khelif's medal and return it to the "real owner" in an earlier interview.