Senior figures within amateur boxing have "warned many bouts, including those to decide medals, could be fixed at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro amid widespread concern about corruption and financial malpractice at the sport’s global governing body," according to Owen Gibson of the London GUARDIAN. Horrified senior officials within the sport believe "a cabal of officials are able to use their power to manipulate the draw and the judging system to ensure certain boxers will win." One senior figure said there was “no doubt” some of the judges and referees in Rio “will be corrupted.” He alleged a group of referees get together before major championships "to decide how to score certain bouts." Senior officials said that the alleged corruption has become "more sophisticated and more widespread since the London Games." It is alleged corrupt officials, directed to score bouts in a certain way for a variety of reasons, are said to have "initially relied on hand or head signals to manipulate judges at the end of each round so they knew from which corner to select the winner." A senior source said, "This is all being done very quietly. Some bouts are so bloody blatant it’s obvious. It sickens me to my stomach." A spokesperson for the Amateur Int'l Boxing Association said that its mission was "to ensure the organisation of fair and transparent competitions." Sources alleged that at major championships the draw commission "was also being directed as to which judges should officiate each bout." One boxing judge who was prepared to go on the record, Ireland’s Seamus Kelly, said that he had been "asked to cheat at the Arab Games in Doha in 2011 by indicating who was winning during the fight." The AIBA said, "Our role is to ensure a fair and transparent competition and that the thousands of spectators and millions of fans enjoy an amazing tournament with 13 great and undisputed gold medalists. We reiterate that, unless tangible proof is put forward, not just rumours, we cannot further comment on these allegations" (GUARDIAN, 8/1).
