New Delhi: Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom on Thursday blamed the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) boxing task force for “poor decisions” in her flyweight (51kg) pre-quarterfinals. In which she had to face defeat despite winning two out of three rounds. The task force is organizing a boxing event in Tokyo after the IOC banned the International Boxing Association (AIBA) for alleged misgovernance and financial mismanagement.
“I don’t know and can’t understand this decision, what’s wrong with the workforce?” Mary Kom asked in a phone interview from Tokyo after her pre-quarterfinal loss to Colombia’s Ingrit Valencia. What’s wrong with IoC? Mary Kom said, “I was also a member of the workforce. I was also giving them suggestions and cooperating with them to ensure a fair competition. But what did they do to me?”
She said, “I was happy inside the ring too, when I came out, I was happy because in my mind I knew I had won. Even when they took me for doping, I was happy. When I looked on social media and my coach (Chhote Lal Yadav reiterated this to me) I realized that I had lost. Mary Kom said, “I have beaten this boxer twice before. I couldn’t believe the referee had raised her hand. I swear I didn’t even realize I was defeated, I was so confident.”
He said, “The worst thing is that we cannot review or file a protest against the decision. To be honest, I’m sure the world has seen, it’s just too much of what he did.” “I should have won unanimously in the second round, so how was it 3-2?” she said.
The IOC’s boxing task force promised more transparent decisions this time as amateur boxing was heavily criticized for wrong decisions at the 2016 Rio Olympics. After which 36 officers were suspended. Mary Kom is part of the 10-member Athlete Group of the Boxing Task Force. She represents the Asian bloc in the panel which also includes two-time Olympic and world gold medalist great boxer Vasil Lamachenko (Europe) from Ukraine and five-time world champion and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Julio Cesar La Cruz (USA).
Mary Kom said, “Within a minute or a second, everything for an athlete is gone. What happened is unfortunate. I am disappointed with the judges’ decision.” But she is in no mood to say goodbye to the sport even as her Olympic journey comes to an end in the Tokyo season itself. She said, “I will take a break, spend time with family. But I am not leaving the game. If there is a tournament, I will continue and try my luck.”
