I have been watching the excellent coverage of women’s
volleyball. This is a fast, exciting sport and is being beautifully and clearly
refereed. There are no arguments or appeals – it is entirely fair. What a
contrast to boxing!
Barry comes from a boxing family - his father, grandfather and
uncle were all good amateur boxers – and his father gave him a pair of boxing
gloves when he was nine. His first ‘bout’ was in a ring he fashioned in his
back garden. More serious fights followed when he became a full time amateur (shamateur)
boxer in the Army and since he retired from the ring he has maintained a key
interest in the sport. By default I have also developed an interest in boxing
and am always keen to hear the commentary of ex-boxers and the analysis of boxing
experts at the ring-side.
The London 2012 Boxing Olympics has gained Barry’s admiration
for the high standard of boxers and his utter contempt for the officials
(referees, judges, International Olympics Committee (IOC) and the Amateur International
Boxing Association (AIBA). The boxing
press and boxing notables like Lennox Lewis are universally outraged at the ineptitude
(or deliberate bias) of the officials.
There have been numerous instances of referees who are either not aware of
the rules of the sport or are ignoring them. The links below provide
examples from the large press cover on the issue.
Compared to many other disciplines boxing is not difficult to
judge yet many of the fights have been blatantly misjudged. I’m no expert but
even I can see when a fighter is holding or delivering an illegal punch. The IOC
is meant to oversee the quality of judging and refereeing but is mysteriously
silent following dreadful decisions. A number of these travesties have resulted
in appeals leading to officials being expelled from the Games. Most worrying of
all has been the failure of the IOC and the AIBA to respond to a BBC whistle
blower’s broadcast last September about AIBA corruption concerning payments to
favour certain boxers.
Boxing is a great sport that has done much, particularly for
under-privileged youth. It focuses energy and demands self-discipline. Boxing and boxers deserve much better than
the treatment they have received in the London 2012 Olympics. The IOC has failed to ensure that the sport
is properly regulated and must ensure dramatic changes before the next games. If
it cannot do so I regret that it should be excluded from the Olympic stage. A
good start would be to demand and secure the resignation of the entire senior
level of the AIBA.
