An investigator appointed by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) determined that some of its own officials selected referees and judges to ensures that bouts could be manipulated in Olympic qualifying and at the Rio de Janeiro Games. There were also some signs of coercion at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Investigator Richard McLaren noted that there was a “culture of fear, intimidation and obedience in the ranks of the referees and judges.” The investigation counts at least 11 bouts that were affected. AIBA officials used their power to select referees and judges and turned the commission into “a mere rubber stamp.” The investigation determined that the selected referees and judges were complicit with the manipulation or were “incompetent” in their duties in not recognizing signs of it.
McLaren’s report included witness testimony of a bribe of up to $250,000 for a Mongolian boxer to beat a French boxer. The exchange of money did not occur, but the Mongolian boxer did lose with “very unusual scoring” which saw the identical scores on all five judges’ scorecards.
None of the judges or referees participated in the Tokyo Olympics this past year.
Boxing has yet to be confirmed as a sport at the next Summer Games in Paris in 2024.
Payout Perspective:
Unfortunately, corruption in boxing is nothing new and the report that fights were manipulated with referees and judges compliant with the irregularities is a concern. The articles does not include any information on how it will regulate officials to ensure that this does not happen again. The investigation and report is just a step in moving toward getting rid of corruption in the sport.
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