Star Indian boxer Vijender Singh has been handed a golden chance to represent the country at the Rio Olympics after the International Boxing Association (AIBA) confirmed on Wednesday that professional pugilists will be allowed to compete at the quadrennial extravaganza.
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In a landmark decision, AIBA today (June 1) threw the Olympic doors open for professional boxers after an extraordinary congress in Lausanne, Switzerland voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move.
They are not expected to be given a wildcard to the Olympics and must therefore pursue qualification at a tournament scheduled for Venezuela in July. That, of course, hasn’t curbed the criticism of AIBA’s move by those who believe that allowing professionals to compete in a combat sport against amatuers is quite unsafe.
Thapa had started training to qualify for the Rio Olympics but his luck earned him a berth in the London Olympics (2012) as well.
Kom, a former five-time world champion and a household name in India, was left devastated after losing a crucial bout at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan. AIBA has stated that it believes that like many other sports, their professionals should be allowed to participate in the Olympics, but although the Games are not far away, it is still not clear how this is going to be done.
The vote comes after AIBA president CK Wu has repeatedly looked to extent its influence over professional boxing, with Olympic eligibility given to paid fighters signed to AIBA-run professional tournaments in 2013.
“I have chose to prioritise my legislative duty as I owe it to the people who voted for me”, Pacquiao said in a text message last week, according to Agence France-Presse.
I wonder if it is not amateur boxing the one that was killed, but if instead it was AIBA. The last four years have just flown and I have learnt a lot.
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“They would be two completely different kinds of fighters”. The health risks involved in placing pro boxers in a ring against young amateurs also concerned critics, including Mike Tyson, who called the idea of pros in the Olympics “ridiculous”. Then AIBA chose to remove the head gear from amateur competitions.
