Boxing fights for Olympic survival
Two officials handed suspension, close to 50 protests lodged and three decisions overturned at Worlds
NEW DELHI: At the men’s boxing world championships in Belgrade, two officials were suspended, close to 50 protests lodged till the semi-finals and three decisions were overturned after review.
Boxing is facing a grim test of survival as an Olympic sport. A week before the start of competition, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach had sounded a warning, saying the international boxing body —AIBA —is being closely watched. He said a decision on whether boxing and weightlifting – both mired in misgovernance – will feature in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be taken soon.
“We are quite concerned because in these two federations there are problems of good governance and that is why we are currently monitoring them very closely,” Bach told French sports publication L’Equipe.
The new AIBA regime under president Umar Kremlev has taken a series of initiatives to weed out corruption and manipulation in results. They include verification of judges and referees through an artificial intelligence (AI) system that is used by military and law enforcement agencies.
AIBA integrity advisor Richard McLaren, who is in charge of the screening process, said 50 referees and judges and 20 technical officials were tested. McLaren said the technology is not a lie detector test and analyses the “cognitive functions of the brain through voice responses.”
“The technology uses pertinent questions, such as, ‘have you ever cheated in a boxing event?’ We measure risk from an individual regarding certain events of manipulation or potential corruption,” he said.
As an AIBA appointed independent expert, McLaren had blown the lid off the boxing scandal in 2016 Rio Olympics revealing manipulation in bouts and draws through an unholy nexus between then top federation officials and scorers.
Two officials were not approved before the start of this competition while two more were removed subsequently based on the screening results.
With teams allowed a maximum of three bout reviews, there were plenty of protests— close to 50 till the semi-finals— of which half were deemed fit for scrutiny by the review panel. Three decisions were overturned.
“The three results that were changed were done so rightly,” said India’s high performance director Santiago Nieva, who is also in the AIBA coaches committee.
“One of the reasons for so many protests is because it is free of cost, so even that is not good. They need to change the rules there. They also need to have a look at the head clash rule,” said Nieva.
India registered two protests. One where debutant Lakshya Chahar (86kg) lost to Korea’s Kim Hyeongkyu in a refereestops-contest ruling. Leading 4-1 after the first round, Chahar received a cut in the forehead in the second. The ringside doctor allowed him to continue but after the cut reopened following a head-butt, the referee stopped the fight.
“The doctors examined him and he was allowed and then the wound opened up because of a headbutt and not a punch. In that case they should have looked into the scoring card. It is a weird rule,” said Nieva.
Another bout India protested was Akash Sangwan’ pre-quarterfinals in 67kg against Cuban K Brown Bazain. Akash lost 5-0 but the Indian team felt the first round should not have been a one-sided card for the Cuban.
“With regards to officiating they have brought changes to make it transparent. It has not been like the worst of cheating in this tournament. It still remains a subjective sport and the idea is to involve more technology which is foolproof, like measuring the power of punches etc. They are in talks with a few companies and it will still take a couple of years for that to happen,” said Nieva.
A bout between Vladimir Mironchikov (Serbia) and Robby Gonzales (USA) in the 80kg category with the split verdict in favour of the US boxer was criticised by the Serbian federation. But their request for review was not accepted since they had exhausted three bout reviews.
“AIBA has worked diligently and with the help of independent experts to ensure rigorous refereeing and judging that is free from political influence. Thanks to these efforts, boxers can be assured of a fair fight,” AIBA said in a statement on the bout.
Integrity unit by 2022 AIBA also announced the creation of an independent Boxing Integrity Unit. It will be empowered to address competition manipulation, abuse, harassment, eligibility check of candidates and other issues. It is expected to be functioning by 2022. “For too long, AIBA was on the back foot for issues of governance and sporting integrity. I am very proud of the way this has changed, with our new culture of reform ensuring real progress towards best practice in governance and the delivery of fair fights,” said Kremlev.
“Being surrounded by the world’s best boxers here in Belgrade, it is only right for our sport’s leadership to do its best. AIBA has acknowledged the problems of the past. We have brought in independent experts to help guide us and now we must boldly embrace the future.”
AIBA has also said proposals for the composition and size of the AIBA Board of Directors, its executive and disciplinary arm, will be submitted to the AIBA Congress in December so that it can take effect next year.
“Enhanced eligibility checks for candidates will also be implemented. Further recommendations are expected to be considered by the AIBA Board of Directors when the independent Governance Reform Group submits its final report in the course of November,” it has said.