King has his two-year AIBA ban lifted

By David Owen, insidethegames.biz: The former chief executive of the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE), Paul King, has had his two-year suspension from the sport set aside by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The Swiss-based court also ordered the International Boxing Association (AIBA), whose disciplinary commission imposed the ban in April, to pay King SFr2,000 (£1400/$2,200/€1600) as "contribution towards the expenses he has incurred in connection with these arbitration proceedings".

The ruling will do much to clear King's name and appears to leave him free to re-enter the sport, should he choose to do so.

The ABAE in April appointed Mark Abberley as its new chief executive in succession to King who had filled the post for six years.

King, a former AIBA Council member, incurred the wrath of the world governing body by mounting an unsuccessful campaign to challenge Taiwan's C K Wu for the Presidency of world boxing and attempting to postpone the AIBA congress.

AIBA had no immediate comment on the ruling which was delivered by the court in the following composition: President – Professor Michael Geistlinger, Austria; arbitrators – Michael Beloff QC from Britain and Professor Petros Mavroidis from Switzerland.