The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has put on hold planning for the Tokyo 2020 boxing tournament in a move that could see the International Boxing Association (AIBA) frozen out of the Olympic Games.
In a statement issued on November 30, the IOC said it had also launched a probe into the sport's governing body after the AIBA submitted a progress report on governance, financial management, and sporting integrity.
The IOC said the outcome of its probe could lead it to drop its recognition of the AIBA.
The AIBA has been in turmoil for years and the IOC has warned the Swiss-based body to sort out its finances and governance, as well as anti-doping issues, or risk missing out on Tokyo.
In a statement issued later on November 30, the AIBA said it had made "great strides in a short period of time".
The body's president, Gafur Rakhimov, said he too had been concerned about its finances earlier in the year.
The IOC on November 30 noted uncertainty about the role of Rakhimov, an Uzbek, resulting from his "designation as a key member and associate of a transnational organized criminal network by the U.S. Treasury Department."
