FAIRNESS in judging will be addressed as the Philippines supports efforts to lobby for the inclusion of the boxing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) secretary general Marcus Manalo said in a social media post that this issue will be tackled in the reforms that are being put in place.
“When it comes to fairness in judging which has always been an issue with boxing, (the newly formed) World Boxing is already in partnership with an IT (informational technology) institution which created an analytics system that can provide instant feedback to judges in between rounds,” said Manalo in a statement.
The boxing competition at the Paris Olympics was organized and ran by the International Olympic Committee after it removed its recognition of the International Boxing Association, .
The IBA was stricken off IOC membership last year over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance.
In the new body World Boxing, the ABAP is represented by its chairman Ricky Vargas in the Executive Board.
“The only chance for boxing to be back is for us to have a new International Federation (IF) that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will recognize; an IF who practices good governance, financial transparency, and integrity with refereeing and judging.
World Boxing, the new IF, is at the forefront of keeping boxing in the Olympics,” said Manalo.
The Philippines bagged two bronze medals in the Paris meet behind the performances of female boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.
The IOC has asked national boxing federations to create a new global boxing body or risk missing out on the Olympics in four years’ time.
World Boxing, which was put up in 2023, currently has 37 members, and needs at least 50 to be recognized by the IOC.
