GUYANA will be among more than 150 countries to cast votes when the International Boxing Association (IBA, formerly AIBA) stages an Extraordinary Congress this morning in Yerevan, Armenia.
The GBA is being represented by its president, Steve Ninvalle, at the critical event which could pit incumbent Umar Kremlev of Russia against Holland’s Boris van der Vorst in a run-off for the president’s seat.

Today’s Congress will see eligible, affiliated federations first cast votes on if there needs to be an election.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Ninvalle explained that IBA held a presidential election last May in Istanbul where Kremlev was re-elected unopposed.

However, van der Vorst, who was also a candidate for the presidency in the May election, was excluded from the vote for alleged irregularities. He appealed his exclusion to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and in June, CAS ruled that the Dutchman’s barring from the vote was not justified.

According to Ninvalle, the affiliates will first have to vote on whether there is need for an election today. “Only if this vote is successful then will there be an immediate election,” Ninvalle said.
“To me this is one of the most pivotal events in boxing and the results, in my personal opinion, will reveal if IBA is capable of solving its own issues or if outside influence has the upper hand,” Ninvalle, a former Americas Boxibg Association (AMBC) vice-president added.