Rio Olympics: System to manipulate outcome of boxing matches by officials in place at 2016 Games
A system to manipulate the outcome of boxing matches by officials was in place at the Rio 2016 Olympics, an independent investigation has found.
Professor Richard McLaren, the head of the investigation commissioned by the sport’s world governing body AIBA, said the “seeds had been sown” years before.
“Suspicious” bouts included defeats for Great Britain’s Joe Joyce and Ireland’s Michael Conlan.
The AIBA said it noted the investigation’s reports with “concern”.
The investigation also reported that qualifiers for the 2016 Games were the “practice ground” in which manipulation methods were “fine-tuned”.
The investigation found there were two bouts that “caused the system to publicly collapse” – including the bantamweight quarter-final between Conlan and Vladimir Nikitin from Russia.
Conlan was the reigning world and European champion at the time, and his defeat led to public outcry after he had appeared to win the bout comfortably.
The other was the gold medal heavyweight match between Russia’s Evgeny Tischenko and Kazakhstan’s Vasily Levit.
The findings also call into question the final of the men’s super heavyweight division between Joyce and France’s Tony Yoka, in which Joyce won silver.
The investigation indicates there were approximately 11 bouts in total that were “suspicious” – and there “may be others”.
Ex-president ‘bears ultimate responsibility’
Professor McLaren was appointed to investigate the Rio 2016 allegations in June as part of the AIBA’s steps – under new president Umar Kremlev – to reform the sport.
After an investigation by the International Olympic Committee, the IOC suspended the AIBA in 2017, banning it from organising the Tokyo 2020 boxing competition.
Professor McLaren – who investigated state-sponsored doping in Russia – found the manipulation structure within the AIBA was made possible because key personnel decided the rules did not apply to them.
He said the AIBA’s then-president Wu Ching-kuo “bears ultimate responsibility for the failures of officiating at Rio and the qualifying events”, and that Wu was supported by his executive director Karim Bouzidi in Rio.
“The executive director seized powers belonging to the permanent commissions. The commissions would let this happen as did the president,” said McLaren.
“Once having acquired the power, he would oversee the appointment of referees and judges (R&Js) that knew what was going on but would comply with the manipulation or who were incompetent but wanted to continue as an R&J so were willing to comply or turn a blind eye to what was going on.”
Wu was handed a lifetime ban by the AIBA in 2018.
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