Who are the Irish Amateur Athletic Association (IABA)?
They are the governing body for boxing in Ireland. Well, that’s not quite true.
Why not?
Because there are two IABAs – the official IABA and the provisional IABA.
What?
Well there is the IABA that exists with Joe Christle as chairman and there is the IABA that exists with David O’Brien as chairman.
You are joking?
No. In March of this year five board members got together in a room and voted in another chairman, Mr O’Brien.
Can you do that?
Well, they did it. Now, apparently, there are two of them.
Why did they do that?
Because they did not like the way the association was moving. It also challenged the legitimacy of the official board and in turn the legitimacy of the Rio Review and the legitimacy of the appointment of Bernard Dunne as high performance director – even though they were party to appointing him.
That’s very confusing?
Absolutely. There are people in the public domain claiming to be another IABA board. What a cluster-f . . .
Please, keep it PG. So, this has nothing to do with Bernard Dunne?
Nothing. But it illustrates how divided boxing is and Dunne has been caught in the cross fire.
How so?
Dunne picked a team for the upcoming European Championships in Ukraine and he was to be the manager. It was put before the IABA Central Council who knocked back Dunne and his selection at super heavyweight. They subsequently said Dean Gardiner must box off against Martin Keenan and that will take place on Wednesday night at the National Stadium after it was announced just hours beforehand.
Dunne’s selection was the first test of whether the IABA had moved away from old habits and from a Sport Ireland (SI) viewpoint they failed the test. Bigly, as Donald Trump would say.
So what?
This is precisely what infuriated Billy Walsh. But the issue was not who was or was not selected, rather the issue is about the Central Council exercising power over selection.
Is that not their privilege?
Yes. But after Paddy Barnes battling his weight and losing in Rio, Katie Taylor and Michael Conlan suffering defeats, Conlan and Stephen Donnelly reprimanded for gambling on their fights, Michael O’Reilly sent home for a positive drugs test and the departure of Billy Walsh to the USA it was no party time. So the IABA agreed to a Rio Review, a new set of rules, a promise to address corporate governance and to modernise the sport and bring it into step with best practices.
Has the IABA done this?
No. But it is worse than that. The Provisional and official IABA also have their own set of governance rules in the wings ready to go. Needless to say they are different sets of rules.
What does this mean?
It means the IABA civil war has halted all forward progress for the organisation and the show of strength by Central Council is a message that they are not for moving.
Can it be sorted out?
Well, a furious SI chief executive John Treacy has suggested funding could be at risk if they do not pass the modern set of governance rules by the end of June. Those new rules would, for example, allow Bernard Dunne to pick European squads without interference by Central Council. End of.
Is that a good rule to have?
Dunne is the man who works with the boxers day in day out. He is accountable and should be above any county pressures to select particular individuals for tournaments. It would be like Joe Schmidt having his Irish starting team changed by an IRFU committee just before the Six Nations. Imagine the phone call going something like: ‘sorry Joe, that Ringrose lad has to go.’ In essence the Central Committee can act as selectors.
Okay so this dispute is not between the IABA and John Treacy but a dispute between the official wing and provisional wing of the IABA and also a dispute between the Provisional wing of the IABA and Treacy?
Precisely.
Why don’t the IABA sort it out themselves?
That is what Treacy wants them to do and, as SI provide 60 per cent of the IABA annual funding, he is holding a big stick. He has given them until the end of June to comply. Last year IABA high performance funding was €900,000 and the carding allocation was €368,000.
Has funding ever been withdrawn from an Irish sports federation before?
Yes, back in the 1990s. The then Minister for Sport Jim McDaid withdrew funding from Swim Ireland (then the IABA) over their mishandling of a number of child abuse scandals. But that was a different time, a different sport and more serious issues. Also Treacy is the chief executive of SI, not the minister. The Motorcycling Union has not received 2017 funding yet because of various issues.
So where does that leave the disagreement?
Junior Minister of Sport Patrick O’Donovan called a meeting in Dublin on Tuesday for all sides to meet and talk. But IABA President Pat Ryan did not turn up. The Minister said it was not respectful. Mr Ryan said he had family matters to attend to.
Another meeting was held on Wednesday and Ryan, before entering, told RTÉ that boxing was not divided.
After the meeting Treacy told RTÉ: “There are still serious issues to be addressed” and that the sport was “deeply divided” and that “the issue goes beyond team selection by committee.”
What will the Minister do now?
He will write to the board of SI and recommend that they take any such action that they deem appropriate bearing in mind that it must be consistent and fair.
Is funding on the table now?
Yes.
But that would hurt everyone in boxing?
Yes.
So why do it?
Go ask Billy Walsh.
