Boxing-Complaint filed against countries boycotting world championships

FILE PHOTO: International Boxing Association (AIBA) President Umar Kremlev attends a news conference ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland June 28, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

(Reuters) - The International Boxing Association (IBA) has opened disciplinary proceedings against several countries over their planned boycott of amateur world championships due to the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian boxers.

The IBA lifted a ban on Russian and Belarusian boxers competing under their flags last October, against the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) guidance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year.