Can IOC fix weightlifting, boxing?

“We are quite concerned because in these two federations there are problems of good governance and that is why we are currently monitoring them very closely. We will make a decision as soon as possible in the interest of the athletes.” – Thomas Bach, IOC president

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and International Boxing Association (AIBA) are both on the precipice of being removed from the 2024 Paris Olympics. The International Olympic Committee announced a week ago that it would make a final decision on the two delinquent sports federations soon. For the Philippines, this will be a very painful excision if it happens. All four medals the country won at the Tokyo Olympics came from these two sports. After years – even decades – of misconduct, the two unrepentant federations will now receive their comeuppance. Or will they?

Filipinos are very familiar with the corrupt system of judging that AIBA had used to favor its donor countries for as long as we can remember. The most egregious offense was denying Onyok Velasco a gold medal in Atlanta in 1996. But there have been many, many other such injustices. Even just at the Southeast Asian Games level, we have received reports of AIBA officials “allocating” gold medals to participating countries in officials’ meetings, like pirates greedily dividing stolen booty. Some host countries have even been allowed to remove women’s boxing altogether to protect their medal tallies. In May of 2019, AIBA was stripped of its right to conduct the 2020 Olympic boxing tournament, which was instead supervised by an ad hoc committee. With the improved impartiality, the Philippines won two silvers and a bronze medal. In September, an independent investigation commissioned by AIBA itself revealed that a bout manipulation system influenced outcomes at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In weightlifting, the problem has been persistent use of performance-enhancing substances. In the last decade and a half, over 50 weightlifters have been caught with steroids in their urine during and even long after Olympic competition. From 260 competitors in Rio, the IOC penalized the IWF by cutting down participants to 196 for Tokyo. This is why Hidilyn Diaz lifted in a consolidated weight class three kilograms heavier, and found it easier to make weight. The IOC initially promised to trim the field down to just 120 weightlifters in 2024.

Before Tokyo, the IWF held a convention to institute reforms, but could not muster the numbers, as the most frequent violators refused to promise change. Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Chinshanlo, who earned a bronze to Diaz in Tokyo, was a 2012 gold medalist who was stripped of her medal for steroid use, and received a suspension. Because Kazakhstan has been a repeat multiple offender, it was only allowed to field one male and one female weightlifter (Chinshanlo) to Tokyo.

But can the IOC really reform boxing and weightlifting? The short answer is no. The problem is that the IOC is merely an organizing body. It does not have battalions of officials for every sport under its umbrella. It also cannot intervene in internal problems of individual federations. At best, all it can do is prevent the erring federations from being involved in the conduct of the Games and perhaps even qualifying events. At worst, it can take the sport out entirely, which would decimate the medal chances of Philippines in Paris, in particular. (If you recall, there were no basketball games in the 2005 SEA Games in the Philippines, because of the tug-of-war between the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP). FIBA had not yet decided which group to recognize at that point.) In cases of doubt, those are the options of the IOC. Sports like golf, rugby, baseball, softball, solo synchronized swimming and tug-of-war have all been taken out of the Summer Games for one reason or another. Meanwhile, curling and skeleton (sledding) have also experienced being removed from the Winter Olympics at one point or another.

The IOC will also need cooperation from organizers of continental competitions like the Asian Games and even the SEA Games to compel the federations to change. If the IWF and AIBA cannot enforce acceptable reforms and the IOC is forced to remove their sports altogether, Paris in 2024 promises to be bleak for the Philippines.