Boxing cuts put in place after rejection of restructuring

The withholding of 15 per cent of funding to Irish boxing (IABA) following the organisation’s refusal to adopt modern governance structures will cost them €75,000.

In July IABA members overwhelmingly voted against proposals for change at an emergency general meeting in Roscommon despite being warned by Sports Minister Jack Chambers that the cut would be imposed if they did not significantly restructure the association.

The €75,000 figure provided by Sport Ireland comes from 15 per cent of boxing’s annual €500,000 and will stay in place until the IABA agree to a pathway towards change and modernisation of the organisation.

“The 15 per cent cut is now in place,” said a spokesman for Minister Chambers.

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“The 15 per cent is being applied and they have to now manage their budgets accordingly. They obviously rejected the reforms and we put the cut in place. We have heard what they don’t want and now we have to hear what they do want.

“If they don’t show any reform then ultimately, starting at next year funding will be removed. That’s the trajectory we have set up. We are waiting to hear back from them about what reforms they are going to propose and we will go from there. That’s where we are at the moment.”

The internecine fighting in boxing has been going on for years and the egm, held in Roscommon, was seen as a last chance to bring in the necessary reforms to run the sport in a more modern and representative way.

Boxing in the past has had two boards, each claiming to be the legitimate body, while Bernard Dunne, the successful head of the High Performance boxers, who compete at World Championship and Olympic level, resigned from the organisation earlier this year.

The financial shortfall is expected to be found in savings around salaries within the organisation and in the administration.

Minister Chambers has previously said that funding to boxers who hope to qualify for the next Olympic Games including world champions Kellie Harrington, Amy Broadhurst and Lisa O’Rourke will not be affected.

Boxing also has the option of coming back with proposals to restructure the organisation and satisfy the Minister in which case the €75,000 funding could be released back into the sport.

“The Minister has been eager to say that we want to fund them properly and well. If they show the appetite to embrace reform that could happen,” said the spokesman. “They have to come back to Sport Ireland and us with how they are going to embrace that reform.”

How boxing will get around to agreeing a way forward is not known having flatly recently rejected the relevant Motion One at the recent egm.

Motion One proposed expanding the board from its current 10 members to 12. The newly constituted board would include six independent members, along with athlete and coach representatives, while also addressing the lack of female representation.

The new board would then be tasked with deciding how to deal with the remaining recommendations in the recently published IABA Governance Review.

At the meeting 39% of affiliated boxing clubs registered to send voting delegates with 105 attending the meeting. They represent 31% of clubs and voted against Motion One, by 80 votes to 25.

The board of directors has also served notice of an egm for Saturday August 13th. The meeting is to change wording in the relevant articles of association.

The current wording reads “All general meetings of the company shall be held in the State” The use of the word “State” places a geographical limitation on where general meetings can currently be held, namely the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland.

The proposed motion will seek to amend this wording to include the Six Counties in Northern Ireland reflecting the main objects of the company which are to foster and develop the sport of boxing in Ireland as a whole.