Asiad end calls for change of rules in boxing
Officials from the Philippines speak out after South Koreans ‘favoured’
INCHEON:
Countries may challenge new boxing judging rules after a storm of controversy that nearly brought the Asian Games boxing to blows outside the ring, said a sports officials.
Ed Picson and Ricky Vargas, executive director and president of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines, said they had already written to governing bodies demanding change.
Boxers from the Philippines, India and Mongolia all claimed they were the victims of scoring that favoured the South Koreans, who were also the hosts of the Games in Incheon.
Nineteen-year-old Ian Clark Bautista's loss to Choe Sang-Dong was the one that really hurt the Philippines.
"How am I to explain to a 19-year-old kid, who practically threw away four years of his life training away from his family, that the world is not as beautiful as it used to look to him," said Picson in an interview.
"And what about the Korean boy who beat him? What sort of values are we teaching him? That he can win even if he was inferior?"
Vargas said Mark Anthony Barriga, another Filipino, should also have won. “They were two fights that were stolen from us," he said.
The Philippines body has written to the Incheon Asian Games Organising Committee calling on them to back the change in rules after the acrimonious disputes.
"I think there can be a little bit more integrity in this process," said Vargas.
"Boxing is a sport in that you practically put your life on the line for every time you step in the ring. And this is what comes out. It's really disappointing."
The International Boxing Association introduced scoring rules similar to those used in professional bouts on August 31. The Asian Games was the first international tournament to use them.
Now there are five judges scoring, but only three are counted at random. That means a fighter could win 3-0 or lose 2-1, depending on the scores.
Countries may challenge new boxing judging rules after a storm of controversy that nearly brought the Asian Games boxing to blows outside the ring, said a sports officials.
Ed Picson and Ricky Vargas, executive director and president of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines, said they had already written to governing bodies demanding change.
Boxers from the Philippines, India and Mongolia all claimed they were the victims of scoring that favoured the South Koreans, who were also the hosts of the Games in Incheon.
Nineteen-year-old Ian Clark Bautista's loss to Choe Sang-Dong was the one that really hurt the Philippines.
"How am I to explain to a 19-year-old kid, who practically threw away four years of his life training away from his family, that the world is not as beautiful as it used to look to him," said Picson in an interview.
"And what about the Korean boy who beat him? What sort of values are we teaching him? That he can win even if he was inferior?"
Vargas said Mark Anthony Barriga, another Filipino, should also have won. “They were two fights that were stolen from us," he said.
The Philippines body has written to the Incheon Asian Games Organising Committee calling on them to back the change in rules after the acrimonious disputes.
"I think there can be a little bit more integrity in this process," said Vargas.
"Boxing is a sport in that you practically put your life on the line for every time you step in the ring. And this is what comes out. It's really disappointing."
The International Boxing Association introduced scoring rules similar to those used in professional bouts on August 31. The Asian Games was the first international tournament to use them.
Now there are five judges scoring, but only three are counted at random. That means a fighter could win 3-0 or lose 2-1, depending on the scores.