LAUSANNE: The bitter power struggle that has has wracked the International Boxing Association has ended with AIBA president Ching-Kuo Wu agreeing to step down after 11 years at the helm.
The Swiss-based organisation has been riven with in-fighting for months, with Wu pitted against most of the executive committee who failed to remove him through a vote of no confidence tabled in July.
That the veteran sports administrator’s days at the helm were numbered was clear after an AIBA disciplinary commission provisionally suspended the Taiwanese businessman early last month charged with allegations of “financial mismanagement” and corruption.
A joint statement by the sport’s world governing body and Wu released Monday said “they have amicably agreed to resolve the management issues within AIBA and to withdraw and terminate all related pending procedures before civil courts and AIBA disciplinary commission”.
In what is clearly a face saving gesture that takes into account Wu’s long service in AIBA, the statement further reads: “Both parties agreed that at this stage there is no indication of any unethical behaviour by either party.”
Wu said he took the decision “for the sport I love and have dedicated my life to. I step down in the best interests of both AIBA and boxing but I remain committed to ensure a smooth handover to the new leadership. I am thankful for the time I was allowed to serve our sport, AIBA and the boxing community”.
For the time being, Franco Falcinelli from Italy will remain AIBA interim president exercising all powers of the president in accordance with the statutes.
Falcinelli said: “I would like to thank Ching-Kuo Wu for his contribution to the sport of boxing and to AIBA over many years and we wish him all the best. Our focus is now on the future and we will concentrate on our core mission of promoting and developing our sport in collaboration with the 202 National Member Federations.”
Falcinelli will ask the executive committee to vote in favour of a recommendation that the title of AIBA honorary president be bestowed upon Mr Wu, subject to ratification by the AIBA congress.
AIBA will convene an extraordinary congress with all its national member federations on 27 January 2018 in Dubai to notably consider proposed governance changes.
