The Cuban Mayeta risks losing the trophy from Belgrade » How the Romanian Boxing Federation violated international regulations

Mayeta won, on Sunday, in the 85 kilogram category, the Belgrade Winner tournament, a competition held under the auspices of World Boxing and organized by the Serbian Boxing Federation, also affiliated to the world Olympic boxing structure.

The regulation of the forum that replaced the IBA, after multiple international corruption scandals, explicitly shows that an athlete cannot represent a national federation without holding the citizenship of the respective state, an aspect recognized even by the president of FR Box, Vasile Cîtea, in a press conference held on Wednesday.

Mayeta, in conflict with the World Boxing Cup regulations

“Mayeta needs a passport to represent Romania at the European and World Championships, the Olympic qualifications and the Olympic Games. She can participate in the rest of the competitions without a Romanian passport, because it does not affect any ranking,” Cîtea said.

Article 2.3.1 of the official World Boxing regulations clearly states: “Boxers participating in boxing competitions must have the same nationality as the national federation they represent, as evidenced by a valid passport and/or certificate of citizenship.”

Both the Romanian Boxing Federation and the Serbian Boxing Federation are affiliated with World Boxing, meaning that the organization's regulations are binding on competitions held under the same umbrella.

Under these conditions, serious questions arise about how Mayeta, who wears the Romanian insignia on his shorts, was registered in Belgrade.

GSP sent official requests to World Boxing and the Serbian Boxing Federation to clarify under what nationality the Cuban boxer was registered and what documents were presented to the organizers.

The Mayeta topic exploded within Romanian boxing after several former Federation officials complained that the athlete was sent to international competitions on federal money before the naturalization was completed.

Former federal coach Alexandru Scarlat stated for Gazeta Sporturilor that the situation is incompatible with international regulations. “His papers didn't come out. He's not naturalized. How is he boxing for Romania and how are you taking him on the Federation's money?”, said Scarlat.

He also disputed the way the Federation publicly presented the Cuban as “world runner-up”, claiming that the claimed result actually came from the Youth World Boxing Cup in Budva, a competition without official World Championship status.

Victimization at FR Box: 'He cried before the final'

In parallel, the leadership of the Romanian Boxing Federation continues to talk about a campaign against the Cuban athlete and the new technical leadership brought to the team.

After the press conference in which Vasile Cîtea stated that “Mayeta is a target”, the discourse of victimization was continued by the general secretary of FR Box, Daniel Ion.

Jorge Luis Mayeta Suarez cannot represent Romania until he is naturalized. Photo source: Romanian Boxing Federation

Invited to Sport Total FM, the official of the Federation claimed that the Cuban boxer would have been physically affected by the public scandal that broke out in the last few days, stating that he would have been unwell before the last act of the competition in Belgrade.

“It is not known, but before the final, he was one step away from being able to enter the ring, he was affected by the negative news, by this stalking. He saw, yes, unfortunately, all the platforms translate automatically, he cried until about an hour before the match, but he won, he had a strong psyche”, declared Ion.

The statements come at a sensitive time for the Romanian Boxing Federation, which is under pressure following a series of GSP investigations into contested refereeing, medals deemed “fixed”, delays in joining World Boxing and allegations regarding the handling of athlete funds.

A week ago, more than 100 affiliated members of the Federation requested the convening of an extraordinary General Assembly and the removal of Vasile Cîtea from the position of president.

Among the challengers are the former world champion Dorel Simion, the former federal coach Alexandru Scarlat and Victor Leu, vice-president later suspended by vote in the General Assembly.

The tears of Mihaela Lăcătuș. It confused the challengers

The discourse of victimization did not stop at the Mayeta case. In the same press conference organized by the Bucharest forum, the coach of the women's team, Mihaela Lăcătuș, claimed through tears that her family had been threatened by phone.

The former world champion, however, did not indicate any name or present evidence that the episode was related to the current challengers of the Federation or to the series of investigations published by Gazeta Sporturilor.

“These people who challenge us, these characters called my child and threatened him. Is it normal? It went too far”, said Mihaela Lăcătuș, visibly moved.

According to the information that appeared later in the Romanian boxing environment, the episode invoked by Mihaela Lăcătuș would not be related to the current challengers of the Federation or to the series of investigations published by GSP, but to an older conflict, which happened approximately four years ago, around a scandal regarding the obtaining of trainer's cards.

Around that episode, there were also claims that the threats complained of at that time would have come from the area of ​​a coach in Iași and would have been related to alleged compromising images and a conflict that, at the time, would have even reached the attention of the prosecutors.

At the same time, several voices in boxing dispute the way in which the Lăcătuș family presented itself as the target of recent attacks, given that the GSP investigation targeted allegations regarding the prize system in women's boxing, the existence of sportswomen brought only to generate medals and financial bonuses, as well as the fact that certain rewards would have been constantly collected by the same circle of people around the women's team.

In the conference, Mihaela Lăcătuș stated that she and her husband “were never paid by the Romanian Boxing Federation”, claiming that the only income came from the prizes awarded after the medals.

Our only reward is these prizes after the medals won. If these premiers also ended up being challenged… then what are we working for?
– Mihaela Lăcătuș, coach of the women's boxing team