The International Boxing Association (IBA) on Wednesday said it would allow Russian and Belarusian boxers to compete at the organisation’s events with immediate effect.

The IBA board of directors voted in favour of cancelling its previous decision, which suspended athletes from Russia and Belarus from competing at international events due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The IBA strongly believes that politics shouldn’t have any influence on sports. Hence, all athletes should be given equal conditions,” the association said in a statement.

IBA added that both Russian and Belarus teams would be able to perform under their flags, and the national anthems will be played in case they win a gold medal.

The association’s president Uma Kremlev, who is Russian, had recently called for the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus to all international competitions.

The IBA was suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over wide-ranging problems, from judging scandals to governance and finances.

The boxing competition at the Tokyo Olympics last year was run by the IOC, and boxing has not been included in the provisional programme for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

Now, this latest decision has the potential to cause further division between the IBA and the IOC.

IOC still calls for Russian athletes to be excluded from international sports outrightly due to Moscow’s war against Ukraine. 

(dpa/NAN)