WORLD boxing’s governing body AIBA has escalated further into farce after one of the two factions claiming leadership of the beleaguered organisation attempted to sack its executive director, William Louis-Marie.
The International Management Committee (IMC), ostensibly those members of the executive committee who passed a no-confidence motion in AIBA president Wu Ching-kuo last month, sent a letter informing the Frenchman he is suspended with immediate effect.
Wu hit back immediately, insisting the attempted suspension was “unlawful”, and accusing IMC members of mounting an “unjustified personal attack” on Louis-Marie.
The latest move raises more serious questions over the competency of the governing body to stage its World Championships, which are scheduled to start in Hamburg on August 25.
A further court hearing aimed at resolving the AIBA power battle is due to start in the Swiss courts on August 17, although a ruling is not expected until September at the earliest.
In a letter to Louis-Marie, the IMC wrote: “We hereby suspend you with immediate effect, for the sake of AIBA and its members. Once the situation finally gets calmed, we shall identify all of the measures to be taken, both from a civil and potentially criminal point of view.”
It comes after AIBA filed a criminal complaint against IMC members in a Swiss court on Saturday. The IMC claims Wu has presided over an era of financial impropriety which has left the governing body on the brink of bankruptcy, something Wu strenuously denies.
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