IBA demand that boycotted world championships must be 2024 Olympic qualifiers

The International Boxing Association say that IOC's qualifying process for boxing at next year's Olympic Games is unacceptable and must recognise a world championships that many countries, including Ireland, are boycotting.

The Russian-led International Boxing Association has been sidelined by the IOC from the Paris process due to governance and other issues after being stripped of involvement in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Ireland, USA, Britain, Czech Republic, Sweden and Canada have previously announced their intention to boycott the IBA's world championships, and they were joined by Switzerland and the Netherlands on Sunday.

The boycott comes after the IBA decided last November to allow boxers from Russia and Belarus to compete with national flags and anthems, despite the war in Ukraine and against IOC guidance.

Boxing is not on the initial programme for Los Angeles 2028, pending reforms demanded by the IOC who warned in December that it might also have to consider cancelling the Paris programme.

The IBA, lead by Russian Umar Kremlev and heavily funded by Russian majority state-owned Gazprom, announced on Monday what it called it's own Olympic qualification system.

"To exclude world champions from the upcoming women's and men's world boxing championships... from qualifying for Paris 2024 is not acceptable and against the principles of sport and boxing," it said.

The IBA said it would accept no qualification process for Paris 2024 other than the world championships and "a final last chance to qualify open event taking place in May 2024".

A qualifying system approved by the IOC last September established direct qualification through regional multi-sport competitions -- the Pan-American Games, European Games, Pacific Games, Asian