LONDON — England’s boxing federation has urged the troubled International Boxing Association’s president to question his position to help avoid expulsion from the Tokyo Olympics. In a letter to AIBA president Gafur Rakhimov, England Boxing tells the alleged heroin trafficker “it is time for you personally to think about the actions you can take to help resolve” amateur boxing’s issues. IOC concerns include Lausanne-based AIBA’s challenges to operate bank accounts in Switzerland while Rakhimov remains on a U.S. Treasury Department sanctions list. England Boxing says AIBA has “deep-rooted issues that exist” despite changes under Rakhimov’s interim leadership before he was formally elected last month. The U.S. Treasury Department says Rakhimov is a heroin trafficker linked to organized crime.

Source: National Post December 07, 2018 17:15 UTC