Tuesday, 19, March, 2024

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has confirmed that Gafur Rakhimov will be the only candidate standing for the organisation's Presidency next month.

Rakhimov, currently the interim leader of the governing body, was expected to face a challenge from Serik Konakbayev but it was revealed yesterday that the Kazakh had failed to get enough letters of support.

It means Rakhimov will run unopposed at the AIBA Congress in Moscow with his election almost certain, but boxing now faces a showdown with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over Rakhimov's alleged links with organized crime.

The IOC have consistently warned that the election of Rakhimov would put the sport's place on the Olympic programme at Tokyo 2020 at risk.

Rakhimov denies any allegation of wrongdoing with the IOC Executive Committee expected to discuss the issue at a two-day meeting beginning in Buenos Aires today.

Yesterday Konakbayev, the Asian Boxing Confederation President and an AIBA vice president, missed the deadline on September 23 - a Sunday -  to file the necessary letters from at least 20 countries supporting his candidature by only a few hours.

He has also not been named as standing for vice president position from Asia, despite all of the other continental heads running unopposed for their respective positions.

AIBA today said that the election process so far had been carried out with "full transparency" in a press release which made no mention of Konakbayev.

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