LAUSANNE (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended Guatemala. According to the IOC, the Central American country’s national team did not act according to the rules of the Olympic Declaration. Thus, athletes from Guatemala are currently not allowed to compete in international competitions under their country’s name and flag. Guatemala will also not receive any financial aid during the suspension.
India received the ultimatum from the IOC during the board meeting in Lausanne. To put pressure on India, the committee members decided to postpone the IOC session scheduled for May 2023 in the Indian city of Mumbai. That country’s Olympic Committee must hold board elections and resolve internal issues quickly or the IOC will look for another venue for next year’s conference. India last hosted an IOC session in 1986 in New Delhi.
The IOC board is still concerned about the situation of the International Boxing Federation, the IBA, due to the IBA’s financial dependence on the Russian natural gas company Gazprom. According to the IOC, the boxing federation is doing very little to address internal issues.
Boris van der Voorst, president of the Dutch Boxing Association, wants to become president of the IPA. However, he was suspended in May ahead of the election. Van der Vorst successfully appealed to CAS, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. The IBA decides at a special conference whether fresh elections will be held. The IOC is threatening to scrap boxing as an Olympic sport after Paris 2024. Boxing is currently not scheduled for Los Angeles 2028.
