King, who is also the chief executive of the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE), wrote a letter addressed to boxing friends and family - seen by insidethegames - in which he explains his rational for missing the two-day Congress that gets underway tomorrow. 

King writes: "I write to inform you personally why I have not attended the AIBA Congress as a current Executive Committee (EC) Member.

"I believe that being elected democratically by a Congress of around 170 Boxing Federations around the World in Santa Domingo in 2006, was a true reflection of the health of our sport boxing unlike the status which currently exists for you in Almaty over the next thee days as over 50 per cent of our brothers and sisters are not allowed to participate or be recognised; they are suspended.

"Only 90 or so countries will be in attendance, the smallest AIBA Congress ever of its registered members, as opposed to the 196 members.

"Why?

"Some will say: ‘But you as an EC Member Paul King voted for this.’

"On reflection, and being a man who comes from a democratic state and nation, I did change my mind, which is my democratic and transparent right, which I now voice.

"This I now do because I found that all those near 100 suspended federations (brothers and sisters in the boxing family) were not to play any part in AIBA whatsoever, including Congress and Boxing Competition, because they had not paid their Annual AIBA Subscriptions and it also became clear this barring of Boxing Federations would effect the forthcoming elections.

"I revisited my decision and changed my mind when I received information that suggested AIBA’s Leader [C K Wu (pictured)] had purportedly received first-class flights to and from the AIBA World Youth Championships in Azerbaijan totalling in the region of $18,000, which would have paid for 72 Boxing Federations annual $250 fees.

"How can this happen, in times of austerity around the world and when our Sport is dying on the Vine, in 100 countries?"

As well as condemning AIBA for suspending various national federations, King, who failed unsuccessfully to get enough support to stand against Wu as President, also criticised AIBA for a lack of transparency in regarding their finances.

He continued in his letter: "I am led to believe I am the only individual and current Elected Member of the AIBA Executive Committee to have for the last eight weeks sought the full Financial Accounts from AIBA for the Congress as per Statues.

"I have been refused by Employees of AIBA (the people who serve you the membership) sight and copy of my requested information.

"The Profit and Loss Statements for thee and a half years was sent out, breaching the Statues of AIBA through delay.

"This information received is totally incomplete without any balance sheets (either annually or for the period in question) and without the auditors notes (which is the detail of the near 22,000,000 Million CHF expended by AIBA),

"The EC may have by now received this detail; as a Member I have not?

"This is poor financial management and governance by any standards.

"The Fianace Commission of AIBA consists of only two non-elected members.

"The current governance and financial detail is weak and unclear, particularly set against the backdrop of AIBA’s near potential total exposure of 6,000,000 CHF against WSB.

"This point is highlighted in the KPMG Auditors letter to the Congress and in the previous Auditors letter to the AIBA EC meeting in Morocco.

"The future financial stability of AIBA clearly rests firmly with the success or otherwise of WSB.

"I raise these issues as a wake up call to you all and I ask the future AIBA Executive Committee to gain spirit and ensure they are the guardians of the sport, representing you all.

"The EC, when elected, will hopefully all be boxing men and women of stature and experience.

Good luck to you all."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected] 


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