The absence of so many countries could clearly have an important impact on any leadership vote at the Congress, scheduled for Almaty, Kazakhstan, on November 1 and 2.

King, chief executive of the Amateur Boxing Association of England, is set to challenge the incumbent, C K Wu, for the AIBA Presidency.

It is understood that he needs to gather nominations from 20 national associations by Friday (October 1).

In a letter seen by insidethegames and addressed to boxing friends and family, King, who is understood to have been campaigning in Bulgaria, writes: "It has been brought to my attention that more than 70 national federations have not been sent the Congress forms and instructions on the election procedure for the AIBA meetings taking place in Almaty, Kazakhstan in November 2010.

"This is due to unfair suspension imposed by the AIBA administration.

"Disenfranchised countries should be given the opportunity to attend the AIBA Congress - a gathering of the worldwide boxing family that only happens once every four years.

"This is the occasion when you can represent your country and meet colleagues from across the globe.

"As an executive committee member I urge you to exercise your right and demand from the AIBA administration that you receive the official invitation and papers to attend the Congress.

"I have sought legal advice on this matter and received the following - if a suspended national federation pays its ‘dues’ within the six-month period prior to the ordinary Congress on 1 and 2 November 2010, its suspension should be lifted immediately and (as a non-suspended member) it should be able to exercise its membership rights, including the right to vote during the Congress…
“I encourage you to pay the membership fee of $250 (£158) as soon as possible.

"This will enable you to attend and vote at the Congress."

Insidethegames was first to reveal both King’s decision to stand for the presidency and that scores of national bodies could face missing the Congress because of unpaid membership fees.

Asked about the situation earlier this month, AIBA said it would not publish a list of countries which had not paid their membership fees as this was "an internal matter".

However, it would adhere to AIBA rules "in that countries who have not paid their annual membership fees are not eligible to attend the Congress".

King’s move is now prompting speculation that the Congress - originally planned for Busan, South Korea - could be postponed.

The venue was moved to Almaty following what AIBA described as “long-running problems” with the Korean Boxing Federation.

AIBA announced this week that it had decided to lift the Korean federation’s suspension "as soon as a new President is elected and a new executive board organised on September 30, 2010, providing that such elections are satisfactory to AIBA".

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