Scuffles broke out and Mongolia threatened to withdraw its fighters as controversial decisions favoring home boxers yesterday caused chaotic scenes at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
The husband of Indian lightweight Sarita Devi launched an expletive-laden tirade and tangled with security after South Korea’s Park Ji-na was controversially awarded their semi-final.
Mongolia lodged an official protest after male bantamweight Tugstsogt Nyambayr, who staged a brief sit-in protest, contentiously lost a decision against Ham Sang-myeong. However, the International Boxing Association rejected the protest, saying it was not possible to appeal against judges’ decisions.
Photo: AFP
Mongolia’s chef de mission Badmaanyambuu Bat Erdene called it a “very sad day.”
“We want to see fair play in sport,” he said. “For some of these athletes they have only one chance for a gold medal and it has been cruelly taken away from them.”
He refused to confirm if the team would carry out an earlier threat to withdraw their remaining boxers from the Games.
India’s Devi dominated her fight and when Park’s hand was raised for the win, it sparked jeers and a confrontation.
“I don’t accept this decision. It’s wrong,” a distraught Devi told reporters, while her husband, Chongtham Thoiba Singh, confronted officials screaming: “You’ve killed boxing!”
He grabbed Devi’s arm and tried to lead her in protest back to the ring, where the next bout was already under way, resulting in scuffles as their path was blocked by security.
“Don’t tell me it’s OK, this is not OK. What the hell is going on here,” Singh shouted at the top of his voice. “She won this fight and you give it to [South] Korea.”
The Indian team’s Cuban coach Blas Iglesias Fernandez called for the judges to be sacked.
“I hope all these judges that made this decision are thrown out of the tournament,” he said. “It was a totally clear bout, not any doubt. Only those people saw the South Korean as the winner. She [Devi] won every round.”
Later there was more drama when Indian light flyweight Devendro Singh Laishram battered South Korea’s Shin Jong-hun almost into submission in the final round after controlling most of their fight.
Yet the Shin won the quarter-final with a unanimous points verdict, which was greeted with booing.
The episode took the gloss off what should have been a glorious day for India in the women’s semis.
In the first bout of the day, icon and five-time world champion Mary Kom outpointed Vietnam’s Le Thi Bang to erase bitter memories of falling in the last four in both the last Asian Games and Olympic Games.
Kom too was angry at Devi’s result, telling Indian TV: “Of course Park won, because she is Korean.”
India had a third semi-finalist in the women’s middleweight division, but Rani Pooja lost to China’s Li Qian on points. India picked up one more medal when middleweight Vikas Krishan beat Hurshidbek Normatov of Uzbekistan easily on points.
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