(ATR) The Olympic boxing federation is utilizing its website to showcase the 2017 Boxing World Championships in Hamburg, Germany.
The federation is providing video stream of the championships to compliment the live-stream on the Olympic Channel. The International Boxing Association has been a partner of the Olympic Channel since its launch at the conclusion of the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The boxing tournament began on Aug. 25 as 243 of the world’s best male boxers seek gold medals in the 10 weight categories. The 2017 edition of the event is taking place over nine days at Hamburg’s Sporthalle.
The draw for the tournament was held on Aug. 24 prior to an opening ceremony at Hamburg’s Town Hall.
International Boxing Association president CK Wu declared the championships open during the ceremony and read from a letter from International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach welcoming the world-class boxers to Germany.
"To all the athletes: I wish you all the best for the competitions and have a wonderful experience," Bach’s letter reads. "Remember to always compete in the Olympic spirit of excellence, respect and fair play. Because being a true champion is about so much more than winning.
"When the world’s best boxers come together for these World Boxing Championships, there will be exciting fights, great competition and a fantastic atmosphere."
According to unconfirmed reports, Bach has cancelled his planned attendance at the world championships. Around the Rings also understands that Wu has left the championships to fly to China to attend the National Games and potentially meet with Bach.
The federation hopes the competition will overshadow the current issues surrounding AIBA as its executives seek to remove president Wu from office. AIBA vice president Franco Falcinelli is leading the Interim Management Committee that has sought to suspend executive director William Louis-Marie and president Wu until a motion of no confidence can be held against Wu in November.
By leaving the world championships early, Wu is ostensibly giving up his opportunity to lobby AIBA's National Federations and gain their support before the no confidence vote. It is unclear if Wu plans to return to the championships before the event concludes Sep. 2.
Wu has challenged the formation of the IMC and a Swiss court is currently determining who has the authority to lead the federation until its Extraordinary Congress in Dubai on Nov. 12. A decision is expected in September.
The infighting nearly leaked into the championships as some members of the IMC had their accreditations allegedly blocked by Wu as the event neared. However, Around the Rings is told that the accreditations were restored after legal action was threatened by the IMC.
Before the start of the tournament, Wu addressed the bout between executives taking place outside the ring in a Q&A posted to the AIBA website.
"AIBA’s focus is entirely on delivering a first-class event here in Hamburg that will show the world our sport at its very best," Wu said. "We continue to be absolute in our work because we are defending the interests of boxing, and the people who work every day for the sport know that."
Written by Kevin Nutley
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