– I think the point of view of the entire Polish board will be similar to mine. We cannot accept performances from players from Russia and Belarus. Most of the countries affiliated to the organization have already shown solidarity. I believe that we will stick to our common position – says Demel.
The Kremlin is the president of the new amateur boxing federation that replaced AIBA. – It is one thing to support a candidate for a post from a given country, and quite another to admit representation, which started all this hell – he explains.
– We will certainly not do anything against the common position of other countries. Our players in such championships or sports competitions, where Russians and Belarusians will appear, most likely will not start. I will definitely be against it. As a precautionary measure, we will also ask the Ministry of Sports for an assessment of the situation. We will do as recommended by the organization cooperating with us. However, I think we will all unequivocally boycott such events – he explains.
Poles will start in Budva
From October 14, the European Women’s Championship will be played in Montenegro. – We will definitely start with them, because there will be no Russians and Belarusians – says Demel. – It’s not like everyone accepts this new idea. The EUBC is an independent organization that doesn’t quite agree with this view, he says.
– They sent us information this morning that the list of registered players is closed, so they chose the situation intelligently. However, we still don’t know what the next championships will look like – he describes.
The next competition is the Junior World Championship. This is where IBA has the greatest influence. – I am most afraid of this event. I hope someone will come to their senses, reverse this unreasonable rule and we can take off with the rest of Europe – he says.
What is the rest of Europe saying?
According to Maciej Demel, Europe is divided on the decision of the IBA. – We are in contact with other federations. It is certain that Lithuania, Germany, the Netherlands and all of Scandinavia will share our position. As for the former countries associated with the USSR, i.e. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, I think they may be on the other side. I am interested in southern Europe. The Serbs may be against us, but I wonder how the Croats, Slovenes and Montenegrins will react, he said.
The IOC remains silent for the moment
Amateur boxing has long been monitored by the International Olympic Committee. We do not know if he will not disappear from the competition program after Paris. Such movements certainly do not help to build the position of the sport. So far, no IOC position has emerged. – This is unofficial information that I learned from my Greek colleagues. Before the board of directors decided to restore the Russians and Belarusians, there was no resistance from the representatives of the Olympic committee. Nevertheless, the IOC can look into such things, and that will certainly not improve the relationship with IBA, which is not good anyway. – he reveals.
The information is also too recent to make statements about future qualifications for the Olympics. – Let me remind you that the compromised President of AIBA at the time, ie Mr. Ching-Kuo Wu, is the current IOC representative. We have a sort of paradox, because a man associated with scandals and corruption today works in the Olympic committee. It is a great policy of which we are outside. In general, however, I think bringing Russians and Belarusians back is a stupid decision – concludes Demel.
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Paweł Zagumny has been doomed to sport since childhood, and the only thing he regrets is winning his first national team medal at age 29. As he says himself, it was Raul Lozano who gave him a second life, which he used to the maximum, leaving the stage as a fulfilled athlete.
