Tokyo: Six-time world champion Mary Kom, who exited the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday slammed the International Olympic Committee’s Boxing Task Force for “poor judging” in her Flyweight (51kg) pre-quarterfinal at the Games, which she lost despite winning two of the three rounds.
boutMary Kom lost 2-3 loss to Colombian Ingrit Valencia.
The 38-year-old, multiple-time Asian champion said the loss did not sink in even after she had gone for her dope test.
The Indian trailed 1-4 in the opening round with four of the five judges scoring it 10-9 in favour of Valencia. In the next two rounds, Mary Kom got three of the five judges to rule in her favour but the overall scoreline was still in favour of Colombian Ingrit Valencia.
The Manipuri needed a 4-1 verdict in the final round to swing the bout for her.
“I had beaten this girl twice in the past. I couldn’t believe that her hand was raised by the referee. I swear, it hadn’t struck me that I lost, I was so sure,” she said.
The IOC’s Boxing Task Force had promised a more transparent judging system after amateur boxing’s credibility took a hit during the 2016 Rio Olympics judging fiasco which led to suspension of 36 officials.
Mary Kom is part of the BTF’s 10-member athletes ambassadors group.
She represents the Asian bloc in the panel, which also comprises the likes of Ukrainian legend Vasyl Lamachenko (Europe), a two-time Olympic and world gold-medallist who now plies his trade in the professional circuit, and five-time world champion and 2016 Olympic gold-winner Julio Cesar La Cruz (Americas) among others.
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