IBA hits out at 'political games' by boycotting nations

Amateur boxing's Russian-led governing body denounced a U.S.-driven boycott of its world championships as 'political games' on Thursday and said plenty of boxers from the countries involved were keen to take part.

The United States announced the boycott last week, with Ireland, Britain, Czech Republic, Sweden and Canada following, over the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes and perceived governance issues at the world body.

Russian Umar Kremlev is president of IBA while Russian state-controlled energy company Gazprom is the body's biggest sponsor.

International Boxing Association (IBA) secretary general and CEO George Yerolimpos, who is Greek, said in a letter to national federations that the boycott decisions were "made in a vacuum".

He wrote of "a steady stream of complaints from athletes, coaches, technical officials, and administrators that do not support this decision and need immediate support in making sure they can attend these events."

The IBA last week promised to provide financial assistance to anyone from boycotting nations wanting to compete in the championships.

Yerolimpos said boxers could register directly with the governing body.

The IBA said athletes from 77 nations had confirmed their participation at the women's tournament in New Delhi from March 15-26.

It highlighted previous medallists from Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mozambique and Morocco among those set to attend.

The men's championships are in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in May.

The Indian Express newspaper quoted the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) as saying it hoped for an amicable solution.

"We are confident that the championship will see the highest ever participation from member nations," it added.

The IBA allows