(ATR) Leaders of international boxing federation AIBA will launch new efforts to insure the integrity of the results at the Olympic Games.
The federation is hosting two days of meetings at its headquarters in Lausanne after controversy at the Rio Olympics.
As many as a half dozen of the top referees and judges were removed from the pool of officials two-thirds of the way through the Rio competition. No exact explanation has been provided but suspect judging is the concern.
AIBA executive director Karim Bouzidi was reassigned from his duties overseeing the R&J process at the Games.
In a statement Wednesday AIBA says disciplinary action may be taken against individuals and national federations for violations of the AIBA Code of Conduct.
No time frame or specific cases were identified.
Irish boxer Michael Conlan went on a rant after losing a quarterfinal fight Aug. 16, accusing AIBA of corruption. Conlan also accused Russia of bribery to secure the bout for their countryman.
"Since I became the President of AIBA, we have always been looking at ways in which we might progress the sport, pushing it further for the benefit of the National Federations and the boxers," says AIBA president C.K. Wu.
"Throughout boxing’s rich history, we have seen important changes that have defined the sport we love today, and I know that there are still improvements to be made. Now, we are holding strategic discussions between AIBA executives to lay down new milestones to maintain that positive evolution and vision," said Wu in a statement.
AIBA says changes to the judging process are being discussed at the meetings in Lausanne.
"Within the new AIBA roadmap is the optimisation and improvement of the R&J structure, including the possible introduction of a five-judge scoring system and the review of management and certification processes for referees and judges. The proposed changes will be brought to the relevant commissions in the coming weeks for further review, approval and implementation by the Executive Committee," says the AIBA release.
The Rio boxing tournament included 276 bouts and 13 gold medals. Rio was the first Olympic Games to allow all professional boxers to qualify. For the men, Rio is the first Olympics without the use of headgear, meant to reduce concussions.
AIBA also notes that Wu has been given a proposal "for internal restructuring within AIBA itself to improve efficiency and communications and to better serve the AIBA family.
"The President immediately agreed to implement this proposal," says AIBA, details to be disclosed.
Written by Ed Hula.
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