Connect with us

Press Release

IBA President Umar Kremlev promises prize money for boxers at LA 2028 if the IOC doesn’t change their policy towards athletes’ rewards

Published

on

Umar Kremlev – IBA President.

Lausanne, Switzerland- The International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev declared the intention to award boxers prize money as he did for Paris 2024 Olympic Games in case the IOC wouldn’t change their policy on the matter.

IBA President emphasized his sympathy for Olympians who have recently spoken out against the financial exploitation of athletes by the International Olympic Committee. While the IOC continues to generate billions in revenue from marketing, sponsorships, and broadcasting, the athletes – the very heart of any sport – remain the most vulnerable and financially neglected ones within the Olympic movement.

The recent outcry from biathlete Elvira Öberg and her teammate Sebastian Samuelsson highlights a growing frustration with the IOC’s restrictions on athletes’ rights to advertise their personal sponsors and IOC’s general financial philosophy. Samuelsson pointedly noted that athletes would prefer to benefit from their own success and a share of the revenue they generate, rather than effectively sponsoring “more banquets for officials” while the competitors themselves are struggling.

President Kremlev stresses that this is not just a marketing issue, but a systemic failure of the system where sports officials thrive at the expense of the competitors while offering them nothing in return.

“The Olympic Games has long ceased to be about sport,” Kremlev claimed. “There are too much politics and too little respect for those who spend years sweating in the gym. Today, it is not athletes who stand on the IOC’s podium, but politics, personal agendas, and behind- the-scenes games. The athletes themselves are left without fair compensation for their hard work and without confidence in their future.

For the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Kremlev criticized the IOC for depriving athletes of rightful earnings and awarded more than $3 million to the top placed boxers up to the quarter finalists. Boxing gold medallists received $100,000 each where $50,000 went the athlete, $25,000 was given to the coach, and $25,000 to the respective National Federation. Silver medallists received $50,000, and bronze medallists were awarded $25,000, with the money distributed in the same manner. Boxers who placed fifth received $10,000 each from the IBA. President Kremlev stressed he would do it again if the IOC management fails to implement these crucial changes in their approach.

“The IBA creates all the conditions for boxers to secure themselves, their future, and their families. I sincerely feel sorry for Olympic champions who are being deprived by sports officials who spend money belonging to athletes on the gala dinners and five-star hotels. I hope that the new IOC leadership will rid itself of the old ‘cancerous tumour’ that is destroying the Olympic family and will choose the path of independence and protection of the interests of athletes, coaches, and National Federations. Sports officials exist to serve in sports, and their titles are worth nothing without athletes, coaches, and fans,” Kremlev added.

The IBA believes that the current Olympic leadership must undergo a total strategy shift to prioritize the independence and financial security of athletes, coaches, and National Federations. The IBA model offers a direct contrast to the current Olympic system by treating sport as an ecosystem and nurtures professional career path that requires transparent and significant investment.

The IBA has already set a precedent by paying substantial rewards where payments are not limited to athletes, ensuring the entire support system is sustainable. Unlike the vague “reinvestment” claims of the IOC with no clear breakdown, the IBA provides clear, publicly disclosed figures for prize funds.

The IBA’s message to the new leadership of the Olympic movement is clear: the era of the athlete as a “beggar” must end.

“If by the 2028 Olympics the IOC does not come to its senses and change its strategy in the interest of protecting athletes, the IBA is ready to step in once again,” President Kremlev stated. “We will pay the Olympic champions and medallists the same prize amounts as we did before, because they are our athletes, and the IBA is their home of boxing. Sport must be about the athletes, and their rights and the entire Olympic movement needs a radical reboot.”

About the International Boxing Association:

The International Boxing Association (IBA) is the worldwide governing body of boxing, established in 1946. As the custodian of boxing, the IBA’s strategy is underpinned by an athlete-first approach, with a clear mission to promote, support, develop and unite the prestigious and historic sport worldwide.

For questions and Media Contact:

Michael G. Shariff, Esq.
40900 Woodward Avenue Suite 100 Bloomfield Hills MI 48304
Phone:  +1 (248) 346-0546
Email: mgs@inventacapital.com 


Media Contact 

Company name: IBA
Contact Person: Michael G. Shariff, Esq.
Website:   iba.sport
Email: info@iba.sport
Phone: +1 248 3460546

About Author

Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.

Continue Reading

Press Release

ChangeNOW Brings Martin Masser Into Its Crypto Super App

Published

on

Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, August 5th, 2026, Chainwire

The former TON executive joins as Director of Strategic Partnerships to form the connections behind ChangeNOW’s next phase.

Former TON executive Martin Masser joins ChangeNOW to build strategic partnerships, ecosystem relationships, and media momentum behind its next phase.

Masser comes with experience across traditional banking, Web2 and Web3, including senior growth and business development roles within the TON space. At ChangeNOW, he will lead strategic relationships with blockchain networks, wallets, fintech companies, payment providers and other infrastructure partners.

His appointment comes as ChangeNOW grows beyond standalone crypto services, transitioning to one connected product where users can buy, store, swap, trade, send, receive and grow digital assets. The industry has already built most of the individual components. What it hasn’t solved is the experience of using them together; clients are still expected to switch between platforms, understand different networks and connect the pieces on their own. ChangeNOW’s super app strategy is designed to move that complexity beneath the product.

“Martin brings a rare mix of commercial relationships, product and media understanding,” said Pauline Shangett, Chief Strategy Officer at ChangeNOW. “He knows what the technology can do, what the business needs and how to make the market pay attention. That is exactly the perspective we need as we build the ChangeNOW super app.”

Masser’s role will focus not on accumulating partnership announcements, but on identifying relationships that can make ChangeNOW’s infrastructure more complete and remove unnecessary steps from the сlient experience.

“The best partnerships create access, adoption and attention. My focus is to build relationships that make the product stronger, simpler and more useful, and then help the market understand why they matter. If you are building wallets, networks, payments, stablecoins, fintech infrastructure, consumer crypto or Web3 products, I want to hear from you,” said Masser. 

For consumers, ChangeNOW is combining the core activities of managing crypto within one environment. For businesses, it is developing an integrated set of tools for crypto payments, exchange, stablecoin settlement, digital asset management and Web3 integrations.

As ChangeNOW expands into a crypto super app, its next phase is connecting the right networks, wallets and partners. Masser’s role will be central to building those relationships and turning them into product value, adoption and market momentum.

About ChangeNOW

ChangeNOW.io is a crypto super app built for every crypto move, giving newcomers, professionals, and businesses the tools they need to access Web3 finance in a simple and secure way.

Since 2017, ChangeNOW has grown from a fast, secure, and limitless instant exchange into a trusted platform where storage, swaps, trading, staking, and asset management are covered in one simple experience for millions of clients worldwide.

About Martin Masser

Martin Masser is Director of Strategic Partnerships at ChangeNOW, where he is building partnerships around the company’s expansion into a crypto super app. His career covers traditional banking and capital markets in London and Web3, including his previous role as Head of Growth at TON Foundation. Martin works at the intersection of growth, infrastructure, and partnerships, connecting products and industry players to make crypto services work as one seamless user experience.

Contact

PR Team
CHN Group LLC
pr@changenow.io

About Author

Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.

Continue Reading

Press Release

allwhere Expands UK Operations with Upgraded Depot

Published

on

New York City, New York, August 5th, 2026, FinanceWire

allwhere, the leading IT asset lifecycle management platform, today announced the expansion of its UK operations with the opening of a larger, upgraded depot. The investment increases warehouse capacity, streamlines fulfillment operations, and strengthens allwhere’s ability to support organizations managing employee devices across the United Kingdom.

The upgraded facility represents a significant investment in allwhere’s existing UK infrastructure, enabling the company to deliver faster turnaround times, greater operational efficiency, and additional inventory capacity as demand for global device lifecycle management continues to grow.

“As more organizations build distributed teams, the operational side of IT has become increasingly important,” said Tony Solomon, VP of Global Operations at allwhere. “This investment strengthens the foundation of our UK operations, allowing us to fulfill orders more efficiently, scale alongside our customers, and continue delivering the high level of service they expect from allwhere.”

Built to Support Growing IT Operations

The expanded UK depot enhances every stage of the device lifecycle by improving warehouse operations and increasing fulfillment capacity.

Customers can expect benefits including:

  • Faster fulfillment, expedited shipping, and improved turnaround times for deployments and retrievals
  • Increased warehouse capacity to support growing inventory needs
  • More efficient storage, inventory management, and redeployment workflows
  • Standardized operational processes that improve consistency and scalability
  • End-to-end lifecycle support managed through a single platform

Whether onboarding a new employee, retrieving equipment from an offboarded team member, storing spare inventory, or preparing devices for redeployment, the upgraded facility enables allwhere to execute these workflows more efficiently while maintaining complete visibility through its platform.

Software and Operations, Unified

Unlike traditional asset management solutions that rely on disconnected software, logistics providers, and warehouses, allwhere combines workflow automation with global operational infrastructure.

Organizations can manage procurement, deployment, inventory, retrievals, storage, repairs, redeployment, and IT asset disposition through a single platform, while allwhere handles the operational execution behind the scenes.

The expanded UK depot further strengthens this model by providing the operational capacity needed to support larger fleets, faster fulfillment, and increasingly complex IT programs.

Continuing to Invest in Global Infrastructure

The UK depot expansion is part of allwhere’s continued investment in its global logistics network. allwhere currently operates full-service depots in the UK, Canada, EU, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Later this year, the company plans to further scale its infrastructure into the APAC region, with upcoming depot services in Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and more.

As organizations continue to scale distributed workforces, allwhere remains focused on expanding the operational infrastructure that powers modern IT teams—combining intelligent software with local logistics expertise to simplify device lifecycle management around the world.

About allwhere

allwhere is a laptop retrieval and IT procurement company that automates the IT asset lifecycle for companies ranging from startups to enterprises. From procurement and deployment to storage, maintenance, and retrieval, allwhere provides the infrastructure businesses need to support a global, distributed workforce.

Contact

Head of Marketing
Brent Singleton
allwhere
info@allwhere.co

About Author

Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.

Continue Reading

Press Release

Borderless.xyz Teams Up with Mastercard to Advance Trusted Cross-Border Stablecoin Payment Flows

Published

on

New York, New York, August 5th, 2026, FinanceWire

Borderless.xyz will explore how Mastercard Crypto Credential can help bring greater trust and confidence to cross-border stablecoin payments.

Borderless.xyz and Mastercard are collaborating on a new pilot to explore how Mastercard Crypto Credential’s standards-based framework can support trusted interactions across cross-border stablecoin payment flows. 

Stablecoins are increasingly being used to move value across borders, creating new opportunities for faster and more efficient payments. As adoption grows, participants need trusted ways to understand who they are interacting with and whether counterparties have met appropriate standards and requirements. 

Through the pilot, Borderless.xyz and Mastercard will explore how Mastercard Crypto Credential can address that challenge by providing assurance signals that participants can incorporate into their own approval, compliance and risk processes. 

Mastercard Crypto Credential helps support trusted and verifiable interactions across digital asset ecosystems. Through common standards and trusted assurance signals, it is designed to help bring more confidence, transparency and certainty to transactions across blockchain networks. 

The collaboration pairs Mastercard’s work in building trust and standards for digital asset ecosystems with Borderless.xyz’s network of stablecoin payment providers. Together, the companies are exploring how trusted governance signals can help reduce friction and bring greater confidence to cross-border stablecoin payments as adoption grows. 

“One of the biggest friction points for stablecoin payment operators isn’t the payments. It’s that compliance doesn’t scale the same way the network does. Every new provider means starting the verification process over. Correspondent banking solved this decades ago: originating compliance trusted downstream, no re-execution at every counterparty. Mastercard is applying that model to digital asset payments. Borderless.xyz is the network it runs through.” – Kevin Lehtiniitty, CEO and Co-Founder, Borderless.xyz

“Innovation is most powerful when it builds over time. Our relationship with Borderless.xyz began through Start Path and has continued to grow as the digital asset ecosystem has matured,” said Raj Dhamodharan, executive vice president, Blockchain & Digital Assets at Mastercard. “Today, we’re excited to take the next step together, exploring how Mastercard Crypto Credential can help bring greater trust and confidence to stablecoin payment flows across a growing network of participants.” 

The pilot brings together several of Borderless.xyz‘s network participants consisting of Infinia, Walapay, and Koywe, many of whom are also alumni of Mastercard Start Path, the company’s startup engagement program. These partners will leverage Mastercard Crypto Credential as some of the first stablecoin payment operators to run on the single-audit compliance model at network scale. 

About Borderless.xyz

Borderless.xyz is a global stablecoin orchestration and liquidity network. Its single API connects wallet infrastructure to 15+ licensed stablecoin providers across 100+ countries. It lets businesses enter new markets without new integrations, get failover so payments don’t drop, and make providers compete for your volume on price. Borderless.xyz is SOC 2 Type II certified and headquartered in New York. To learn more, users can visit the website: borderless.xyz.

About Mastercard

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential

Contact

Sarah Cohen
SJC PR
sarah@sjc-pr.com

About Author

Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.

Continue Reading

LATEST POST