IBA President Umar Kremlev: IOC had no choice but to accept lifting the restrictions on Russian athletes
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 08 Jul 2026
IB president Umar Kremlev.
Lausanne, Switzerland — The International Boxing Association (IBA) supports the decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to provisionally lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and declare its neutrality restrictions no longer applicable.
This decision marks the exact outcome the IBA consistently predicted. When the IBA became the first international federation not to impose the ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes — fully following their right to compete under their national flags and anthems, the global sporting community watched with skepticism.
Yet, the IBA stated clearly from the beginning that the rest of the sporting world, including the IOC, would eventually have no choice but to follow boxing's lead. Today's announcement proves that prediction entirely correct.
IBA President Umar Kremlev issued a definitive statement on the IOC's decision: "The IOC had no choice but to lift the restrictions and admit its mistakes. The new leadership is successfully replacing the previous managers and getting rid of old and erroneous decisions. International associations must protect athletes, and athletes should stand on the podium, not politics.
Russian athletes must fully return to the world stage: under their flag, under their anthem, for their country. For an athlete, the flag and anthem are their heart and soul. Russia was and remains a great sporting power. Our athletes must return with dignity—with the right to defend the honour of their country. The IBA expects that the IOC will finally completely get rid of its past mistakes."
The IBA expresses its expectation that the IOC will continue on its path of reviewing past decisions and definitively rectify its previous mistakes.
The IBA also believes that no athlete should be discriminated against on the basis of their nationality, the country they represent, or their faith and calls on international sports federations to support this approach and ensure that Russian athletes are given the opportunity to compete in world competitions under their national symbols.
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