IOC accuses AIBA of Serbia refusing to let Kosovo boxers enter

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BELGRADE, October 24 (Reuters) – Serbia’s refusal to allow boxers from Kosovo to enter the country for the men’s world championships is due to the lack of diligence by the international federation AIBA in awarding the tournament to Belgrade , the International Olympic Committee said on Sunday.

The Kosovo delegation said it was twice refused entry into Serbia at the border on Saturday, first because of the national symbols on their equipment, and again later in the day, even s ‘they had removed them.

Serbia, which lost control of Kosovo in 1999 after a NATO bombing campaign, does not recognize Kosovo as a state after declaring independence from Serbia in 2008.

The IOC said the incident was sparked by AIBA’s failure to follow IOC advice when awarding a major event.

“It appears that the AIBA did not apply the necessary due diligence before awarding this tournament to Belgrade, despite the fact that the IOC has repeatedly informed the international federations of the need for such due diligence,” said said an IOC spokesperson.

AIBA said it believes all athletes should have a fair chance to compete.

“The AIBA aims to provide a welcoming home for every boxer, and the boxing world has no borders,” he said on Saturday. “Sport is meant to unite people and should be free from any national politics.

“AIBA is in contact with the host of the event for the AIBA World Championships, the Serbian Boxing Federation, with the aim of remedying the situation.

The IOC suspended AIBA in 2019, stripping it of any involvement in Olympic qualifiers and the Tokyo 2020 Games tournament over a range of governance, financial and ethical issues.

He urged immediate and far-reaching reforms, that is, review them to assess the status of the suspended federation.

“Therefore, this incident, which is detrimental to the athletes of Kosovo, adds to the serious concerns of the IOC regarding the governance of this suspended International Federation,” said the spokesperson.

The IOC officially recognized Kosovo in 2014, even though it is not yet a member of the United Nations, its membership being blocked by Russia, a traditional ally of Serbia.

Kosovo participated as an independent nation in the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics.

Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, Additional reporting by Zoran Milosavljevic in Belgrade, editing by Ed Osmond

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