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A22 SPORTS
Thursday 20 June 2019
Boxing body near bankrupt,

facing 2020 Olympic exclusion

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme answers the As-
sociated Press in Paris, Wednesday, June 19, 2019.
Associated Press
Tour director tells

AP race won't be

same without Froome

By JOHN LEICESTER could open the door for
AP Sports Writer 22-year-old teammate
PARIS (AP) — The Tour de Egan Bernal.
France just won't be the "Of course, Dave Brails-
same without four-time ford's team will weigh on The new headquarters building of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Lausanne, Swit-
champion Chris Froome the Tour de France, as in zerland, Tuesday, June 18, 2019.
in the field, race director previous years. But will it do Associated Press
Christian Prudhomme told so to such an extent and in
The Associated Press on the same way?" Prudhom- By GRAHAM DUNBAR Wednesday. However, elected Gafur Rakhimov as
Wednesday. me asked. "I imagine that AP Sports Writer there were no detailed president last year while on
Froome was injured last he, Dave Brailsford, is ask- LAUSANNE, Switzerland talks about AIBA's finan- a U.S. sanctions list with sus-
week in a crash in France ing himself lots of questions, (AP) — The International cial and staffing issues, IOC pected links to organized
that left him with multiple too. Boxing Association is near sports director Kit McCon- crime. He denies wrongdo-
fractures. He let go of his "Who will be the leader? The bankruptcy, days before nell said. ing.
handlebars to blow his nose evidence, logic, dictates it a decision to formally ex- AIBA has less than $400,000 The IOC detailed its plans
and hit a wall at speed. will be Geraint Thomas, of clude the body from the in the bank and cannot af- Wednesday for a fresh
"Clearly, it changes things," course," Prudhomme said. 2020 Tokyo Olympics. ford to challenge any IOC qualification program next
Prudhomme said. "The "But will that still be the case AIBA executive director ruling at the Court of Ar- year to send male and fe-
Tour de France with Chris after his crash? There are Tom Virgets told board bitration for Sport, Virgets male boxers to 13 medal
Froome and without is not lots of question marks. But members it will be insol- wrote to senior officials. events in Tokyo.
the same thing. He has we know that Egan Bernal vent if International Olym- The boxing body is also re- The eight men's weight
been the central character is ready, it seems to me." pic Committee members leasing all but three staff classes are a reduction
since, we'll say, 2013. After an impressive win derecognize the troubled from its Lausanne offices, of two from Rio, with two
"So other scenarios are go- at the Paris-Nice race in body next Wednesday. close to the IOC's new women's classes added to
ing to open up." March, the Colombian The full IOC membership lakeside headquarters make five.
Defending champion Ger- then also crashed in train- is expected to sign off on which opened this month Four regional qualification
aint Thomas was also hurt ing in May. He broke his recommendations made and cost around 145 million tournaments are planned
in a crash this week at the collarbone, ruling him out last month by its executive Swiss francs ($145 million). between January and April
Tour de Suisse. The 33-year- of the Giro d'Italia. But he is board, which would deny Virgets said he also is leav- — in the Americas, Africa,
old Welshman required racing at the Tour de Suisse AIBA its expected $17.5 mil- ing, explaining "It is the cor- a combined Asia-Oceania
stitches above his eye but and Prudhomme expects lion share of Tokyo Games rect thing to do" because region, and Europe — with
he is still expecting to de- that the mountainous ter- commercial revenue and he failed in his mandate to a final global qualifier, likely
fend his title. rain of the Tour will play to cut off the men's and wom- keep AIBA involved in the in May, McConnell said.
"Luckily I'm all ok," Thom- Bernal's climbing strengths. en's 2019 world champion- Tokyo Olympics. Past and future Olympic
as wrote on Twitter on This year's Tour will be the ships in Russia as qualifying AIBA plans to hold an exec- host cities should host the
Wednesday. "It just means first with three stages that paths. utive committee meeting qualifiers.
I'll need some big training finish on summits above "In my opinion, the deci- one day after its Olympic After the previous AIBA
rides next week now." 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), sions made by the IOC fate is likely sealed. president, long-time IOC
The setback cast further un- where the thin air will sap were clearly designed to The IOC board wants AIBA member C.K. Wu, sought to
certainty over Team INEOS, riders. "We're going very bankrupt AIBA," Virgets excluded after appointing put professional boxers into
formerly known as Team high this year," Prudhomme wrote in a letter seen by an inquiry panel to inves- the Olympic tournaments,
Sky, which has won six of said. "But nearly all of us The Associated Press. "Ev- tigate its finances, gover- that is not a priority for To-
the last seven Tours. Brad- believe that the Colombi- ery source of income that nance, and the integrity of kyo.
ley Wiggins won in 2012, ans won't be less strong at AIBA had going forward judging and refereeing in McConnell said nation-
while Froome took the title 2,000 meters and Bernal, was taken away." Olympic bouts, including al Olympic teams could
2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, obviously, is Colombian. The IOC board, chaired at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro choose to enter pro box-
and Thomas last year. "At first glance, on paper, it by President Thomas Bach, Games. ers, who would have to go
But with Froome out and cannot be unfavorable for discussed the Tokyo box- A key factor against AIBA through the full qualifying
Thomas recovering, that Bernal," he added. q ing tournaments again was its members having program.q