C K Wu looks set to run for a final four-year term as President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), insidethegames can exclusively reveal.
Speaking from the Youth World Championships in Sofia, the sole qualifying event for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, the 67-year-old Taiwanese former International Olympic Committee (IOC) Presidential candidate said he is considering putting himself forward again for the most powerful position in the sport ahead of this year’s election at the AIBA Congress in Jeju Island, South Korea, on November 8 until 15.
Wu, who first became an IOC member in 1988 before being elected to the organisation’s ruling Executive Board in 2012, has received huge plaudits since taking over as AIBA President in 2006, particularly for his role in spearheading the successful campaign to include women boxers at the Olympics, with the discipline making its historic debut at London 2012.
“Many federations have asked me to continue,” Wu, who has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Bulgarian National Sports Academy Vassil Levski, told insidethegames.
“[They say] ‘all of these changes, reforms and improvements, please consider to stay’.
“I will certainly think very seriously, probably I will continue for the next four years.”
If re-elected to continue to lead AIBA it would be Wu’s last term in office as the world governing body observes a three-term limit for Presidents – something he introduced himself.
“When I took over boxing I insisted there was a change to the constitution to give the President a maximum of three terms,” he said.
“Three times, in my mind, should be the maximum.”
Wu succeeded Anwar Chowdhry as President, a Pakistani whose reign was overshadowed by allegations of widespread corruption and who in 2007 was barred for life from any involvement with AIBA for alleged mismanagement of ts funds.
Wu said that if he is given the chance to serve those final four years he would focus his work on the future and integrity of a “clean, honest, transparent” AIBA.
He also promised to continue to develop the programmes he has introduced in recent years, including AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) and the World Series of Boxing (WSB), which allow athletes to fight professionally while being allowed to retain eligibility to take part in the Olympics, as well as ensuring the introduction of more women’s weight classes at future Games.
“We have to continue in this direction,” he added.
“There are the new programmes, the APB and the WSB must continue, with maybe more WSB franchises to join.
“Also the women’s boxing, I’d like to see in [Tokyo] 2020 more categories.
“All of this is on my agenda for the future.
“The work is never ended.
“However, I can see I have done all the reform.
“A total of 54 items, all finished within four years time, the rest of that is development work.
“Now coming into the next four years, I need to make all of these new products more mature and the quality is very important.
“Then we can reach a very high level of the sport.”
So far, no one has officially declared an interest in the position, with Presidential candidates having to submit their candidatures no later than three months before the Congress.
Expressions of interest are most likely to come at the Executive Committee meeting in the Turkish city of Antalya in July.
This article first appeared in www.insidethegames.biz and is reproduced with permission. The original article can be viewed by clicking here.