KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: The organising status of weightlifting and boxing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo remains uncertain after setbacks to reform programmes in both international federations.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said that an executive board meeting had been less than impressed by the lack of progress in ‘clean-up’ operations.

Bach said: “With regard to the International Weightlifting Federation, our great concerns are about the apparent weakening of their anti-doping rules and other governance issues.

“The IWF wants to change the anti-doping rules which were the basis for the approval of the IOC for their qualification system and this is something upsetting and even more so that all this happened without any consultation with the IOC.

“We will request a clean explanation and it will be on the agenda of the next executive board meeting in February.”

He added: “We are still very concerned about the lack of progress in [boxing federation] AIBA with regard to the reform of management, governance and refereeing and other issues. We will inform AIBA about these concerns immediately.”

The IOC has withdrawn a threat to ban Italy from formal status in Olympic after the collapsing government of ?? withdrew proposals to reduce the power of CONI, the national Olympic committee which is the governing body of all Italian sport.

The next IOC Session will be staged online from March 10-12 with the usurped host city, Athens, now staging the IOC Session in 2025.

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