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Irish boxer Michael Conlan, whose highly controversial quarter-final loss at the 2016 Olympics is now officially suspected of being fixed, called on those involved in the manipulation of fights in Rio to face criminal charges of fraud athletic.
Speaking to the Guardian after reading Professor Richard McLaren’s devastating investigation into corruption in amateur boxing, Conlan also urged the sport’s governing body, Aiba, to award him the Olympic medal which he said he received. was stolen when he lost to Russian Vladimir Nikitin.
“I was the reigning world champion, seeded No. 1 and favorite for gold in Rio and my dream was snatched away – how can I put a price on it?” he told the Guardian. “To be honest, I put him to bed, but reading the report gave me hope for justice.
“But for justice to be served, it will not be enough for everyone involved in corruption to be kicked out of sport,” he said. “It’s a white collar crime. It is sports fraud. Those involved should be charged as criminals. “
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“After calling Aiba corrupt in Rio, they fined me 10,000 Swiss francs for speaking,” he added. “I never paid it, but if I ever want to work in amateur boxing as a coach or trainer, I should give them the money before I come back.
“How is it fair that I am fined for telling the truth and reacting like any normal person – when those responsible for corruption may not face something like that?” “
McLaren’s damning report revealed that a hand-picked team of five-star referees and judges – the highest possible rank in the sport – were using signals at ringside, or telling other colleagues the morning fighting which should win a particular game.
He also found that the corruption had gone all the way to the top with two senior Aiba officials – Wu Ching-Kuo and Karim Bouzidi, respectively president and executive director of Aiba – being “key players” to “allow manipulation to prosper “.
Speaking in Lausanne on Thursday, McLaren confirmed that Briton’s Joe Joyce defeats in the super-heavyweight final to Frenchman Tony Yoka and Conlan’s defeat in the bantamweight quarter-final to Russian Vladimir Nikitin were fights under investigation. .
It didn’t surprise Conlan, who now wants justice. “My message to Aiba is that I want my medal and I know I deserve it. They stole the chance for gold from me, and there’s no way you can give it to me now because I never got to make a semi-final or a final. But I think the right decision would be for Aiba to call off any fights according to McLaren that were affected by the corruption – which would mean I would get the bronze.
In 2017, Aiba said none of its seven five-star judges would re-officiate internationally, while Wu was banned a year later. Bouzidi has also since left amateur boxing. McLaren will present two more reports in November and March, which will recommend sports sanctions for those responsible.
“There will be a huge number of decisions to be reversed for history to be corrected, including the outcome of Joe Joyce’s super heavyweight gold medal fight,” added Conlan. But that’s the only answer.
For her part, Joyce is considering the implications of the McLaren report with her legal advisers. “I firmly believe that I was the winner and deserved the gold,” Joyce told the BBC. “If corruption has taken place, and it appears to be, I trust Aiba and the IOC [International Olympic Committee] will ensure that the integrity of the sport is respected and award me the gold medal… Corruption should never succeed.
Conlan, who is now an undefeated professional who recently won the interim WBA featherweight belt, also confirmed to the Guardian that he would be delighted to meet with McLaren’s investigative team to tell him what he knows. But he said nothing he had heard so far had shocked him.
“No, no, no,” he said. “I know what these judges look like. I remember them all in their little clique. Nothing McLaren found surprised me.
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