Lausanne: The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has slapped a life ban on its former boss for “gross negligence and financial mismanagement” as the crisis-wracked sport’s Olympic future comes under the spotlight.

The AIBA Executive Committee issued a statement saying it had decided to ban Taiwanese ex-president CK Wu and former executive director Ho Kim of South Korea for life.

An internal power struggle earlier this year saw Taiwan’s Wu ousted and controversial Uzbek businessman Gafur Rakhimov — who has always vigorously denied US government allegations of links to organised crime — installed as interim president.

Wu was banned after a report by “forensic investigators” K2 Intelligence documented “gross negligence and financial mismanagement of AIBA affairs and finances”, said the statement.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has threatened to exclude boxing from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics if Rakhimov is elected.