Boxing Makes Major Judging Changes

Rules changes for judges and referees start this week at the AIBA World Championships in Milan. (Getty Images)(ATR) In a bid to end incompetence and conflicts of interest, judges and referees for events sanctioned by AIBA, the international boxing federation, will be governed by new rules and standards – that also includes a new dress code.

More than 200 referees and judges from 100 countries heard about the changes during a day-long briefing Aug. 30 near Milan, site of the 2009 AIBA Boxing World Championships that begin this week.

While the new rules won’t be fully in place until next year, there are some changes that will be followed at the Milan championships.

Most noticeable among them will be the totally AIBA Referee and Judges Commission chair Terry Smith with AIBA President C.K. Wu. (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix)open scoring for each match. Beginning in Milan, the scoring of each judge will be seen as soon as he pushes the button on the electronic device that records the blows. Under an earlier reform, the score was updated in real time as a round progressed, but not the scoring of each judge.

“The reason to do that? There’s nothing to hide,” AIBA President C.K. Wu tells Around the Rings in Milan.

“With our scoring system we need to show how it works. By opening the judges score lets everybody watching the boxing they can see which judges are competent when the blow is made,” says Wu.

“You have to be very competent to perform. Otherwise every one will judge you.”

Each bout at the world championships has five judges who push blue or red buttons to score the blows. For a score to be approved, three judges must push buttons at the same time.

A second change in effect for Milan involves the selection of referees and judges. For the first time at a championship, judges and referees will no longer be permitted to be chosen if they are members of their national delegation or an official with the national federation.

AIBA will now pay all the costs of these officials, from visa fees, to transport, to room and board. The financial moves help to assure that AIBA, not the national federation, is backing the official. Officials also will stay in hotels separate from national delegations.

More systemic changes wereThe AIBA World Congress for Referees and Judges in Milan. (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix)outlined at the Milan congress, the first ever in the history of AIBA aimed at referees and judges.

Besides the changes that are supposed to make the officials independent of national interests, AIBA is launching a comprehensive management system for referees and judges that will place the officials under one set of standards.

Included in the new system is a program of training and testing for referees and judges that will result in a star rating for the officials that start with one and two stars for officials at the national level, to three stars for officials qualified to decide international matches such as world championships and the Olympics.

Terry Smith, who led the explanation of the changes at the Milan congress says competency will be the measure for certifyingNo more bow ties for referees at AIBA bouts. (Getty Images)judges and referees.

“It’s not going to be gained by nepotism, favoritism or any other ‘ism’,” Smith said.

The training for officials will take off next February when the new AIBA Boxing Academy formally opens in Canada.

Change is also coming to the way AIBA referees will dress in the ring. Instead of long sleeve white shirts, short sleeves are the new look. And the most distinctive item in the wardrobe of the boxing referee is also now a thing of the past: no more bow ties, open collars are the rule from now.

World Championships Begin Sep. 1

The boxing will begin Sep. 1 in Milan at the Mediolanum Forum about 20km south of the city. The 11,500 seat arena is regularly used for sport and entertainment, such as an upcoming show by Elton John.

More than 600 boxers from a record 145 countries are taking part in the tournament that runs through Sep. 12.

The opening ceremony takes place Monday night in Milan. While IOC President Jacques Rogge won’t attend the championships, as many as 45 IOC members are expected at some time in Milan.

And if IOC members are around, representatives from the four cities bidding for the 2016 Olympics can’t be far behind. Leaders of Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo are in Milan, the last Olympic sport event they will attend ahead of the Oct. 2 IOC vote for 2016 at the session in Copenhagen.

Written by Ed Hula.