LESOTHO TO REMAIN IN IBA REFUSING TO BE COLONISED AS GHANA MOVES TO WORLD BOXING

LESOTHO TO REMAIN IN IBA REFUSING TO BE COLONISED AS GHANA MOVES TO WORLD BOXING

Lesotho Boxing Association (LeBA) has opted to remain in International Boxing Association instead of being “colonised” by joining World Boxing.

And Ghana Boxing Federation is the eighth African country to abandon IBA for World Boxing (WB).

LeBA Secretary General Lebohang Handy said they have decided to remain with IBA.

“LeBA considers pressure from IOC to join WB as a form of sporting colonisation, violating athletes choice in sports and human rights in sport,” Lebohang told boxersworld.co.ke in a statement.

He cited IBA’s financial rewards to boxers and supporting national federations to take part in their tournaments as one of the reasons for remaining in IBA.

“Olympic involvement has historically offered no long term value to Lesotho boxers,” said Lebohang.

“The prize money Lesotho boxers received from Mandela Cup has transformed their lives, this opportunity is lacking in the Olympics which offers no direct financial empowerment to boxers only medals that have little value in boxers’ financial empowerment, and even if we’re in WB we still have the Olympic qualifiers we’re not assured of going to LA.”

Explaining why Ghana has migrated to World Boxing, the Vice President Daudi Fuseni said apart from elite and youth world championships, IBA has not empowered NFs and is now more into pro boxing. Here’s why Fuseni said they have shifted to WB:

“We need to be sincere with each other, IBA is currently moving gradually away from amateur to professional boxing.

“Currently when you look at IBA’s calendar of events, apart from the Youth and Elite world championships, the rest of their programs are their Champions Nights’ which do not benefit the federations. Mostly it’s pro boxers taking part with few or none from member federations apart from the one in Addis Ababa last year. The Champions’ Nights are of no benefit to federations.

“We need an international body that has a clear road map for the development of amateur boxing globally;

an international body that has a full calendar of activities solely for the development of amateur boxing globally.

“It was good for IBA to introduce Mandela Cup but it looks like an abruptly organised tournament to appease Africa because this year it’s not in their calendar of events.”

Ghana becomes the eighth African country to join World Boxing. Others are Algeria, Egypt, Gambia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Malawi and Sudan.

On the role of Africa Boxing Confederation (AFBC), Fuseni said the body has become a puppet of IBA owing to its financial disability.

Fuseni again: “AFBC do not have absolute control over their activities, they rely on IBA and therefore if IBA goes down, they fall with them.

“I believe AFBC should have a solid source of funding or sponsorship aside the support they get from the international body to run their programs.

“The Mandela Cup, is supposed to appear in the AFBC calendar but because they’re relying on IBA to fund it, it’s not in their calendar of events. This is very unfortunate and that’s why we’re now the laughing stock of the West.

These are some of the challenges we face as Africans and the earlier we sort them out the better especially financial independence sector.”