Officially, the electoral campaign for the presidency of the French Boxing Federation (FFBoxe) has not been launched. It will only begin after the presentation of the lists of candidates, the deadline for which is November 14, one month before the vote. Only officially, because, in fact, the two rival teams are already making their differences heard.
In one corner of the ring, the current leader of the organization, Dominique NATO, is seeking a second term, but this time in tandem with his vice president, the silver medalist at the 2016 Olympic Games (OG), Sara Ourahmoune. In the opposite corner, Estelle Mossely, Olympic champion in Rio, promises to inspire “a new energy for French boxing” and finish his career in 2025, after a few final professional fights.
A balance to defend for the NATO-Ourahmoune couple, a program and a team to put together for Estelle Mossely, numerous trips to meet with the clubs in order to raise their awareness on the issues of the December 14 elections… The two camps They are refining their strategy, initially in no hurry to put on the gloves. But an event forced them to accelerate their pace: a letter sent, on October 14, by the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) to FFBoxe. In this letter, which the world According to what he was able to consult, David Lappartient, president of the CNOSF, invites the federation to take a position in the conflict between the International Olympic Committee and the International Boxing Association (IBA).
Chaired by the Russian Umar Kremlev, the IBA is guilty of numerous failures in terms of governance and financial transparency, judges the International Olympic Committee, which suspended it in 2019 and then banned it from the Olympic family in 2023. This rupture led to the body led by Thomas Bach to organize alone and on his own the events of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 and Paris in 2024. He now plans to withdraw boxing from the program of the Los Angeles Games in 2028… unless another international federation obtains recognition of the Olympic Games. movement and agrees to manage the discipline.
“We are facing an ultimatum”
From “Boxing is no longer considered a sport in the Olympic Games program” and so? “the NOCs [comités nationaux olympiques] must no longer affiliate with the national boxing federations that remain affiliated with the IBA”David Lappartient asks FFBoxe to clarify, “as soon as possible”whether you wish to expand your commitment to the IBA or, conversely, join a new international organisation.
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