BOXING JUDGES GET THE AX
RIO DE JANEIRO — The International Boxing Association removed an undisclosed number of referees and judges from the Olympics on Wednesday after determining they had not met the organization’s standards of competence.
AIBA declined to provide the judges’ names or the fights in which they failed. The results of all bouts will stand, however.
In a statement, the governing body said its refereeing and judging committee reviewed all 239 bouts from the first 11 days of the Olympic tournament. The committee determined that “less than a handful of the decisions were not at the level expected.”
The banished judges apparently didn’t include some of the participants in the two most prominent disputed decisions.
Russian heavyweight Evgeny Tishchenko’s victory over Kazakh power-puncher Vassiliy Levit sparked a wide public outcry over the decision, which rewarded Tishchenko’s retreat over Levit’s power and excitement. AIBA executive board member Tom Virgets told the Associated Press the result is likely to be a catalyst for changes in the organization’s judging criteria. Judge Armando Carbonell Alvarado of Colombia, who joined his two colleagues in awarding that fight 29-28 to Tishchenko, was on the AIBA’s list of judges and referees working Wednesday’s fights.
Irish bantamweight world champion Michael Conlan also complained vociferously and profanely after his quarterfinal loss to Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin on Tuesday, accusing AIBA and Russia of wholesale corruption. Nikitin will face Newark’s Shakur Stevenson in the semfinals Thursday.
U.S. in water polo final
It will be the United States versus Italy for women’s water polo gold.
Maggie Steffens scored four times and the U.S. beat Hungary 14-10 in the semifinals. Maddie Musselman and Kiley Neushul had two goals apiece for the U.S., which is trying to become the first country to repeat as Olympic champions.
The United States has won 21
in a row, including its five games in Rio by a combined score of 61-27. It’s the only country to finish on the podium in each of the five Olympics for women’s water polo. Bird has knee sprain
Sue Bird has a knee capsule sprain and the U.S. women’s basketball team’s point guard and captain is day-to-day.
An MRI Wednesday showed the sprain.
The 35-year-old was hurt with 6:33 left in the second quarter of Tuesday night’s 110-64 win over Japan in the quarterfinals. She sat out the second half of the game. No medal for Russian
Russian long jumper Darya Klishina bowed out of the Olympics Wednesday after failing to make it past the opening rounds of the women’s final.
Klishina, who was only allowed into the Games after winning a last-ditch case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, could only manage a longest effort of 6.63 meters.
That left the 25-year-old languishing in ninth place overall, and outside the top eight who advance to the final three rounds of jumping.
It completed a rollercoaster few weeks for Klishina, the only Russian track and field athlete in Rio to escape a blanket ban imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Jutanugarn leads golf
Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand is the first 18-hole leader in the history of women’s golf in the Olympics.
Jutanugarn had a little bit of everything on her scorecard Wednesday and wound up with a 6-under 65 for a oneshot lead over seven-time major champion Inbee Park and Seiyoung Kim, both of South Korea.