Report issues related to integrity within the International Boxing Association

Are you personally affected by an issue related to integrity within the International Boxing Association (IBA), or have you witnessed such an issue? Speak up then! The Boxing Independent Integrity Unit’s (BIIU) Managing Director is available to anyone wishing to report – also anonymously. BIIU’s general independence and the specific one of its Managing Director regarding issues related to integrity guarantee that reports be handled appropriately.

Please submit your observations to

• director@biiu.sport,
• + 41 33 520 60 48, or
• Boxing Independent Integrity Unit, c/o korave.ch, P.O. Box, CH-3704 Krattigen.

BIIU’s fundamental legal basis is Art. 36 of IBA’s Constitution. Legally speaking, BIIU is one of IBA’s departments. Operationally speaking however, BIIU is fully independent from IBA. Such independence means that BIIU has its own managing bodies and staff, its own budget (allocated by IBA’s Board of Directors), its own IT and security systems (yet to be put into place), its own website (yet to be put into place), as well as its own branding.

Created in 2023, BIIU oversees IBA’s ethical and disciplinary issues, except for anti-doping. Furthermore, it is responsible for dispute resolution (e.g., emerging from commercial boxing contracts). Finally, it deals with eligibility checks and approving candidates for elections within IBA.

BIIU operates based on the four principles of operational and decision-making independence from IBA, professionalism, priority of the law and priority of boxing’s interests. Furthermore, subject to the four aforementioned principles, BIIU is fully committed to IBA’s values, which are respect, integrity and ethics, responsibility, innovation, democratic governance, transparency and accountability, as well as efficiency.

BIIU’s official language is English, its first point of contact is the Managing Director (director@biiu.sport; +41 33 520 60 48; c/o korave.ch, P.O. Box, CH-3704 Krattigen), and two of its main working documents are the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit Rules (BIIUR) as well as the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit Procedural Rules.

BIIU is composed of the Managing Board (Chairman plus five members), the Managing Director, two external Investigation and Prosecution Officers, the Compliance Unit, which is formed by the Tribunal (Chairman plus four members plus Legal Secretary) and the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC, Chairman plus eight members), as well as of the Nomination Unit (Chairman plus three members). All these persons act for BIIU on a basis of independent contractors and thus ensure an appropriate distance from IBA.

The Managing Board oversees BIIU’s governance. It consists of five or more members, including a Chairman, to be appointed for four years by IBA’s Independent Vetting Panel. Each member of the Board shall ensure a high standard of reputation.

On 3 March 2023, BIIU’s Managing Board’s members (Nader Jalal Mohammed Alawadhi, Richard Victor Kitching, Dev Kumar Parmar, Bernhard Heinrich Welten, and Richard R. Young) were appointed for four years with effect from the same day. On 23 March 2023, Bernhard Heinrich Welten was elected the Board’s Chairman by his peers for four years with effect from the same day. On 16 January 2024, the Board was completed by Dejan Laninovic.

The Managing Board reports to IBA’s Congress (and to IBA’s Board of Directors between the ordinary meetings of the Congress), but it is independent in taking the decisions within its competence. The Board oversees BIIU’s governance, and it is namely responsible for the approval of BIIU’s budget, the appointment of the Managing Director, and the approval of the regulations related to BIIU’s activity. It meets whenever necessary, but at least twice a year.

The Managing Board’s Chairman’s resume

The Managing Director is responsible for BIIU’s day-to-day management, and he shall ensure a high standard of reputation.

On 23 May 2023, BIIU’s Managing Board appointed Marco Steiner as Managing Director for a duration of four years.

The Managing Director’s duties include:

• the handling of BIIU’s whistleblowers channels;
• the triage of complaints and disputes;
• the establishing of strategic plans and the annual budget, in both cases for approval by the Managing Board;
• the reporting to the Managing Board on progress of such plans and budgets;
• the controlling of expenditure;
• the supporting of the Board’s President in engaging with BIIU’s external stakeholders;
• the supporting of the Board in the implementation of its decisions;
• the developing of systems, policies and procedures for the effective functioning of BIIU;
• the handling of compliance issues.

The Managing Director’s resume

Investigation and Prosecution Officer (IPO) means a person appointed permanently or an ad-hoc-basis to investigate and prosecute potential breaches of the applicable rules before BIIU’s Tribunal. Such function may also be assumed by the Managing Director under specific circumstances.

There are currently two permanent IPO’s: a Lebanese lawyer based in Doha, Qatar, and an Italian Lawyer based in Geneva, Switzerland.

The IPOs have full power to investigate and prosecute any potential breach of the applicable regulations before the Tribunal. Before submitting a case to the Tribunal, the IPOs conduct preliminary investigations, including the collection of all necessary evidence. They are namely entitled to summon experts as well as to examine witnesses and anyone they deem appropriate. The IPOs are furthermore entitled to request from the Tribunal’s Chairman the application of provisional measures and sanctions. Upon termination of the investigation stage, the IPOs provide the Tribunal with their motivated written submission along with relevant evidence and, if applicable, a request for sanctions.

The Compliance Unit’s Tribunal is BIIU’s disciplinary body. It consists of five or more members, including a chairperson, to be appointed for four years by BIIU’s Managing Board. Each member of the Tribunal shall ensure a high standard of reputation.

On 25 April 2023, the Tribunal’s Chairman, Malek Badri, was appointed for four years with effect from the same day. The Tribunal’s members (Faisal Al Obidan, Ennio Bovolenta, Sally Clark and Adrian Stangaciu)were appointed on 25 April 2023, too, for four years with effect from the same day.

The Tribunal has jurisdiction to hear and sanction cases where a breach of the applicable regulations allegedly accrued. It is independent in taking the decisions within its competence, and it meets whenever necessary. For further information on the Tribunal’s functioning, please refer to Strydom Francois, The Boxing Independent Integrity Unit – A new regime for dispute-resolution in IBA, in: Massimo Coccia and Michele Colucci (eds.), International Sports Justice, Salerno 2024, 337-367, n° 5.1.

The Tribunal’s Chairman’s resume

The Compliance Unit’s DRC is BIIU’s dispute resolution body, e.g., disputes arising between National Federations or concerning commercial agreements related to boxing events. The DRC consists of five or more members, including a chairperson, to be appointed for four years by BIIU’s Managing Board. Each member of the DRC shall ensure a high standard of reputation.

On 25 April 2023, the DRC’s Chairman, Francois Strydom, was appointed for four years with effect from the same day. The DRC’s members (Gauthier Bouchat, Gavin Dingley, Divy Kadakia, Ashot Kyuregyan, Franco Rodriguez, Yago Vazquez Moraga, Federico Venturi Ferriolo and Louis Weston) were appointed on 25 April 2023, too, for four years with effect from the same day.

The DRC is competent to hear disputes

• of international dimension arising from IBA’s Constitution and Regulations, Confederations’ Constitutions and Regulations,
• arising from IBA-owned and IBA-sanctioned competitions (excluding challenging of sporting results),
• arising from elections in National Federations,
• regarding change of sports nationality and eligibility to represent a National Federation, and
• of international dimension where there is an arbitration clause to settle a contractual dispute at the DRC.

The DRC is independent in taking the decisions within its competence. It meets whenever necessary. For further information on the DRC’s functioning, please refer to Strydom Francois, The Boxing Independent Integrity Unit – A new regime for dispute-resolution in IBA, in: Massimo Coccia and Michele Colucci (eds.), International Sports Justice, Salerno 2024, 337-367, n° 5.2.

The Disupute Resolution Chamber’s Chairman’s resume

The Nomination Unit is BIIU’s vetting body. It consists of five or more members, including a chairperson, to be appointed for four years by BIIU’s Managing Board. Each member of the Nomination Unit shall ensure a high standard of reputation.

On 25 April 2023, the Nomination Unit’s Chairman, Emin Özkurt, was appointed for four years with effect from the same day. The Nomination Unit’s members (Pierfilippo Capello, Cambise Heron and Jorge Vaquero Villa) were appointed on 25 April 2023, too, for four years with effect from the same day. The fifth position is currently vacant.

The Nomination Unit exercises all tasks provided for in IBA’s Constitution, IBA’s Regulations on Congress and Elections as well as in the BIIUR which are related to eligibility checks as well as the assessment of appointments and elections within IBA. The Unit is independent in taking the decisions within its competence, and it meets whenever necessary. For further information on the Nomination Unit’s functioning, please refer to Strydom Francois, The Boxing Independent Integrity Unit – A new regime for dispute-resolution in IBA, in: Massimo Coccia and Michele Colucci (eds.), International Sports Justice, Salerno 2024, 337-367,n° 5.3.

The Nomination Unit’s Chairman’s resume