The IBA became the first-ever International Federation to be removed from the Olympic Movement by the IOC, having been suspended since 2019 for issues with finances, governance and the credibility of boxing competitions.

Russian official Umar Kremlev became AIBA President in December 2020 and rebranded the organisation to the IBA the following year, but relations have slumped after his controversial re-election last year when Dutch official Boris van der Vorst was denied the chance to stand.

Van der Vorst is one of the leading figures involved in the breakaway World Boxing, which wants to strike a deal with the IOC for future Olympic tournaments.

Kremlev has repeatedly blamed Taiwanese official CK WU, AIBA President from 2006 to 2017 and former IOC Executive Board member, for the organisation's troubles and even claimed he should be "shot" for "destroying boxing" in widely-condemned comments.

The IBA has been a member of ASOIF since it was founded in 1983, but Ricci Bitti expressed his belief recent issues have been the culmination of decades of problems related to the sport's governance.

"I think it was a sad decision," he told insidethegames on his visit to the Kraków-Małopolska 2023 European Games here.

"It is always sad to have a decision in which you sanction somebody, but I think it was expected.

"The history is not only CK Wu, it is much earlier - it is a cultural issue in this sport.

"There was [Anwar] Chowdhry a very long time ago, then obviously during the CK Wu period there was some mismanagement due to the ambition to the professional side which in my opinion was not a very considered decision.

"Then they had a very difficult period, the leadership of [Gafur] Rakhimov and so on, so I believe the problem has come from a very long time.

"Kremlev is very young in this particular matter.

"This is a conclusion of a period.

"We have to be positive, the only hope is that we can start a new period in which we have a Federation that really concentrates on development because boxing is a sport that professionally has nothing to do with Olympic boxing, they are very different organisations, so we need to concentrate on the development of the sport and refresh the culture of the National Federations because it is coming from them.

"The International Federation is the pinnacle, but the real cultural problem is at the ground basis."

Italian official Ricci Bitti, the former International Tennis Federation President who has headed up ASOIF since 2013, was asked whether he foresees recognition for World Boxing, with the IOC having already committed to the sport's place on the programme at Los Angeles 2028.

He expects an alternative federation will be recognised, but insisted it should be one which avoids leaders with former ties to the IBA and capable of delivering the cultural change required.

"Something surely could happen," he said.

"I hope it happens in the right way.

"When you have more less the same people, you risk the repetition of the mistakes you have done in terms of the approach.

"Boxing is an unbelievably important sport for the Olympic Movement.

"This for me is the saddest part of the story because boxing is really covering space in the under-developed countries.

"It is vital for the youth.

"Boxing is a great sport.

"It [change] should come from the bottom.

"For us it is very sad as the Association of International Federations I would say but it is justified.

"It should give us the opportunity to try to rebuild something in the sense that is useful to the young people."