The International Boxing Association (IBA) has renewed its partnership with the International Testing Agency (ITA) for a further three years in a bid to retain integrity of the sport.
The collaboration sees the IBA outsource anti-doping activities to the ITA, such as testing, intelligence gathering, test distribution planning, education and Therapeutic Use Exemption handling, as well as result management and the handling of anti-doping rule violations.
Benjamin Cohen, ITA Director General, commented: “By entrusting the full range of its anti-doping programme to us at the ITA, we hope in turn that we can enable IBA to focus fully on its core mission of developing boxing, in a transparent manner, worthy of wider trust.
“We look forward to continuing to provide IBA and boxers with our expertise and are fully committed to supporting IBA in its fight against doping.”
Furthemore, the extension now also covers in-competition testing, long-term sample storage, intelligence and investigations, source handling and the administration of the Reveal platform, in ‘strict adherence’ to the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) international standards.
“Through its work with many sports, the ITA has shown the usefulness of bringing in independent experts to help ensure sporting integrity,” added IBA President Umar Kremlev.
“At IBA, we are committed to this approach. It is our duty to protect our athletes and reinforce the values of clean sport in boxing. Continuing our work with the ITA will ensure we do exactly that.”
Initially signed in 2016, following the Rio Olympic boxing tournament, the new deal looks to continue in the efforts for an anti-doping sport.
The international governing body has made an enhancement of its integrity and safeguarding capabilities a priority following a series of controversial results at the aforementioned Olympics games, launching its Boxing Integrity Unit in November last year.
In racing last year, former trainer Jorge Navarro pleaded guilty to involvement in a global doping scheme, admitting that he had administered performance enhancing drugs to horses in order to place successful wagers, manipulating the outcomes of fixtures.
After his guilty plea was accepted, Navarro was informed that he would be sentenced in December, and could face up to five years in prison, whilst also agreeing to pay over $25.9 million in restitution.