A dispute between the governing body of world amateur boxing and some of its members over voting rights is threatening elections for a president and ruling executive committee.
A court in Lausanne will hear a case next Wednesday brought by 13 boxing nations and decide whether to postpone the International Amateur Boxing Association's congress scheduled for Nov. 2 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
AIBA said Friday that its opponents are damaging the image of the sport and governing body, which also has been challenged at sport's highest court by two executive members trying to overturn their suspensions.
It ''fears that the unidentified group will continue trying to discredit the federation and as a result the global boxing family, simply to regain their lost self-interests,'' AIBA said in a statement.
The group - which reportedly includes Belgium, England and Thailand - claims dozens of AIBA's near-200 members are illegally suspended from the congress over unpaid subscription fees.
Candidates from England and Thailand have tried to launch challenges against AIBA president Wu Ching-Kuo, who is seeking a second four-year term. He took office in 2006 by defeating longtime incumbent Anwar Chowdhry from Pakistan, who was later barred for alleged financial corruption.
However, AIBA said the Taiwanese president was the only eligible candidate when nominations closed this month.
AIBA defended an executive decision taken in July to suspend the voting rights of federations which missed an April deadline to pay membership fees.
''The legitimacy of this decision in accordance with the AIBA statutes and bylaws has since been confirmed by a Swiss professor of law,'' the statement said.
Thai executive member Taweep Jantararoj has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn AIBA's suspension of him and his federation for allegedly ''encouraging (members) to use fake congress forms'' in the election nomination process.
The ban prevents Thailand boxers from competing at the Asian Games taking place Nov. 12-27 in Guangzhou, China.
Another executive member, Bettan Andersson, also is awaiting a CAS hearing to clear her name. AIBA suspended her for trying to accompany the Sweden team competing at the women's world championships in Barbados last month while under an interim ban for a separate disciplinary matter.
