The game’s inclusion within the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 Olympics stays unsure, and the present scoring system might be detrimental to its future.
Former Indian boxer and 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh expressed his frustration on social media following Dev’s defeat.
“I don’t know what’s the scoring system however I believe very shut battle..he play so nicely..koi na bhai,” Singh posted on X.
The controversy surrounding Olympic boxing scoring shouldn’t be new. Some of the notable situations was Michael Conlan‘s loss within the 2016 Rio quarter-finals, after which he had a well-known expletive-laden tirade in opposition to the judges.
Conlan, who turned skilled after feeling “robbed” in Rio, has remained vocal in regards to the flaws within the beginner scoring system. Commenting on the continued Video games in Paris, Conlan has maintained his criticism of the system.
India’s iconic boxer, MC Mary Kom, confronted an analogous scenario within the Tokyo 2020 Video games. Regardless of main when it comes to rounds received, she misplaced her pre-quarterfinal bout in opposition to Colombia’s Ingrit Valencia as a result of total scoreline favoring her opponent. Mary Kom expressed her frustration, stating, “The worst half is that there is no such thing as a evaluate or protest.”
Controversial choices in Olympic boxing date again many years.
Within the 1988 Seoul Olympics, American boxer Roy Jones Jr. was controversially denied a gold medal regardless of dominating his bout in opposition to South Korea’s Park Si-Hun. The outcry led to the introduction of pc scoring within the 1992 Barcelona Video games, geared toward lowering human error in judging. Nonetheless, this method confronted criticism for making boxers extra defensive and limiting the number of punches.
In 2013, the Worldwide Boxing Affiliation (AIBA) adopted a professional-style 10-point scoring system. This method launched subjectivity by contemplating defensive prowess, ring management, and total aggression. Criticism of this method resurfaced through the 2016 Rio Olympics, when Michael Conlan publicly denounced the judges after his controversial loss.
An investigation commissioned by AIBA in 2021 revealed a system for manipulating outcomes on the Rio Video games, which led to the suspension of 36 judges. The names of those judges have been by no means disclosed, persevering with the opacity surrounding the scoring system in Olympic boxing.
Given these ongoing points, the way forward for boxing within the Olympics hangs within the stability. The game’s stakeholders should tackle the systemic issues within the scoring course of to revive credibility and guarantee truthful competitors. Nishant Dev’s expertise in Paris is a stark reminder of the pressing want for transparency and reform in Olympic boxing.
