Gafur Rakhimov is on a U.S. Treasury sanctions list for alleged links to organized crime.GETTY IMAGES
Gafur Rakhimov was elected president of the Int'l Boxing Association (AIBA) in Moscow on Saturday in a vote that could result in the AIBA's suspension and boxing losing its place at the Olympics, according to Bernard O'Neill of the SUNDAY TIMES. The Uzbekistan-born businessman beat Kazakhstan's Serik Konakbayev, the sole challenger, after receiving 86 of the 134 votes at the Royal Radisson Hotel. IOC President Thomas Bach "threatened to remove the sport from Tokyo 2020" if the Uzbek, who has been linked to organized crime, was elected. Bach also cited "concerns about governance, refereeing and judging within the AIBA." Rakhimov has "consistently denied any criminality." Konakbayev appears to be positioning himself to lead a "breakaway group" if the IOC suspends the current AIBA board. The IOC said that it will review the Moscow election at its next exec board meeting in Tokyo at the end of the month (SUNDAY TIMES, 11/4). The AP reported Rakhimov has denied accusations from the U.S. Treasury that he is "one of Uzbekistan's leading criminals with links to the global heroin trade." Rakhimov is on a U.S. Treasury sanctions list for alleged links to organized crime (AP, 11/3). REUTERS' Polina Ivanova reported Rakhimov reportedly said that he "would be willing to step down if his role as president threatened the future of AIBA in any way" (REUTERS, 11/3).
