GENEVA — The Court of Arbitration for Sport refused to stop the International Boxing Association’s delayed presidential election on Friday, a day after the challenger was ruled ineligible.
The court dismissed Dutch boxing federation president Boris van der Vorst’s request for an urgent ruling to block the vote, according to a decision seen by The Associated Press.
Van der Vorst was set to run against Umar Kremlev, the incumbent from Russia, in Friday’s scheduled election in Istanbul. The Dutch candidate was removed Thursday by an independent vetting panel after an investigation into complaints that included “prohibited collaboration” with officials standing for other IBA positions.
Kremlev is now expected to be reelected unopposed on Saturday and get a four-year term. His main task will be trying to keep boxing in the Olympics.
The IBA was stripped of recognition by the International Olympic Committee ahead of last year’s Tokyo Games, and boxing was left off the initial program of sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The IOC has long criticized the boxing body for its governance, finances and integrity of bouts at championships, including at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The election uncertainty has not helped the IBA’s need to win over a skeptical IOC, which is also unhappy about proposals for qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The IOC has questioned the IBA’s financial sustainability, which currently seems to rely entirely on Russian state-backed energy firm Gazprom.
Kremlev was able to seek reelection despite Russian athletes and teams being barred from competing internationally and hosting events in most Olympic sports because of the country’s war in Ukraine.