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OMEGA DUBAI LADIES MASTERSDecember 8, 2012Vivek BatraIvan KhodabakhshDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES IVAN KHODABAKHSH: As I said, these allegations was just so ridiculous. It's difficult to‑‑ no, it's not necessary a relief, it's not that I'm going away from something. I have accomplished what I have accomplished. I think the sport, boxing is a huge number of Olympic boxers competing, earning good money and competing at the next Olympic Games where they can professionally compete and also trying to say, okay, that was my accomplishment from a business point of view, and I'm moving on. So no, it's not a matter of relief at all. Q. Leaving in the wake of questions in the investigation‑‑ IVAN KHODABAKHSH: First of all, boxing is a subjective sport. You have it in figure skating, you have it in gymnastics, you have it everywhere. So that happens all the time at the Olympic Games, simply if you see‑‑ the national boxing association, so it has nothing to do with me. So it would have been about clear actions taken, so it's not even a matter of the media putting pressure and things change. You judge it, the competition immediately came together and do the results, and that's the way it transpired in pre‑judging and good competition is conducted. Q. When did the process begin? VIVEK BATRA: He starts officially in January, but once we made the announcement, as you realize in a business‑‑ the hand over from Alex will be in January and she is available for a few couple of weeks. We want a proper hand over, and it's part of what you do as a board as you manage that transition. Q. When did he first approach you to take this role? IVAN KHODABAKHSH: First interview I think was first of August. Second round was sometime mid October. And the process, as I said, since the first of October. ItÂ’s a fantastic position and we are still working to make a proper handover. So it's a smooth process right now. Q. (Inaudible.) IVAN KHODABAKHSH: I can't talk on‑‑ for me personally, this whole story has been such a complete waste of time. And, in fact, if you see it was one interview last year, and after that, it was copy and paste. Q. (Inaudible.) IVAN KHODABAKHSH: It's reality of life. We are in business and this is reality. For me, this happens‑‑ in certain sports especially, which have quite a few of these elements in it, and I have done my very, very best to clean that sport, and if that comes with it, I'm happy to take it on. Q. In boxing‑‑ sometimes in sports like boxing, it does stick, in your case‑‑ case cleared, as it were‑‑ is there an end to the case? IVAN KHODABAKHSH: No, there was an end‑‑ it is not on me to say which elements to pick up or the newspaper to pick up. Clearly there was an investigation and it has cleared me completely. If the journalists don't pick up and that doesn't show up on the top of the Google list, maybe I should have a conversation with Google. (Laughter) This is life and reality. Again I have come to sports because it's truly, truly my passion, and not just in business, I was a coach for many, many years and I worked in the grass roots with girls and with boys. This was one of the motivating drives for me to actually go into the sports business and make the transition and make sure that the sport generates enough money to help grass roots programs. We talked earlier today, I mentioned that I think LET has to have an access of how to develop the sport in more regions. So not just, this is the tournament, this is the prize money. There is more we can do about it. That's my true belief and that's my true passion to be in sport. Yes, things like these allegations happen, but I want to see the CEO of a company who has not faced similar situations. Q. Can you talk about this tournament, as a final to the season? IVAN KHODABAKHSH: It's a fantastic tournament. Everything I've seen has impressed me, and I think it's worth it to be the final of the LET. I think we have to make sure that in the next years we build up the Tour, really building it from the first tournament to the last tournament, and the story is told and the climax here is in Dubai. I think we can still improve on that side. Q. The men's tour has a Race to Dubai, is that something worth investigating yourselves? IVAN KHODABAKHSH: We don't necessarily need to copy and paste things. They are great stories and values which the LET has itself and the ladies tour has itself. We will look into it, and as I said it's a fantastic job done by Alex that I am following, and it's a well organised tour. But now we have the basis of doing the next step. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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