In 2016 an Olympian Irish boxer famously accused judges of fixing his match. Now an independent investigation says nearly a dozen fights may have been rigged.
Investigator Richard McLaren found widespread evidence of rigged boxing matches in the 2016 Olympic qualifiers and official games.
He said that referees and judges worked together to manipulate matches in the Olympic games and qualifiers for money.
Irish boxer Michael Conlan previously said there was corruption “from the core right to the top” in boxing.
An independent investigation into boxing at the 2016 Olympics has found widespread evidence of rigged matches in the qualifiers and official games.
Investigator Richard McLaren, who also investigated the Russian doping scandal, found that referees and judges worked together to manipulate matches for money, according to his report published on Thursday.
McLaren, who was appointed by the International Boxing Association (AIBA), said he found widespread “corruption, bribery and the manipulation of sporting results.”
The investigation found manipulation in at “the vicinity of 11” matches, including fights for medals, NBC News reported.
McLaren said that among the fights that was investigated was a bantamweight quarterfinal between Ireland’s Michael Conlan and Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin.
Conlan lost the bout and told reporters he’d been “robbed “ while claiming that corrupt judges and officials rigged matches at the 2016 games. In 2016, The Guardian quoted Conlan as saying AIBA was corrupt “from the core right to the top.”
(The Insider)