"We are keeping a watching brief but will ring-fence the funding if the governance arrangements are not satisfactory," he explained.

The power struggle, first reported in insidethegames earlier this month, has escalated, with individual home nation associations declining to accept key changes recommended by the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA) and endorsed by the Government-backed funding body UK Sport.

The continued underwriting of Britain's London 2012 medal-table-topping programme was conditional on changes being implemented that would give the umbrella body BABA even greater autonomy.


As revealed in insidethegames, the Amateur Boxing Scotland (ABS) has called an emergency general meeting to demand the removal of the BABA chairman, Derek Mapp, but Robertson said: "Derek is doing exactly the right thing and I am amazed, and saddened, that boxing wants to self-destruct after being one of the stand-out successes of the London Olympics.

"I have been to visit the GB boxing team in training on three occasions and Rob McCracken [the head coach] is outstanding – one of our very best Olympic performance directors.

"The existing team has my full support."

This unsettling dispute falls on the eve of the European Championships – Britain's first major tournament since the London 2012 Olympics, taking place in Minsk, Belarus on June 1 until 8.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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