The International Boxing Association (AIBA) President Wu Ching-Kuo said on Friday that the association will "clean the house" after the Beijing Olympic Games.
"The most important part of our reform is to create an open, clean and transparent environment. We are determined to clean the house," said Wu after Rodel Obreja from Romania, one of the two Olympic competition technical delegates, charged the referee selection procedure in the Olympic bouts.
Obreja, in a surprise move, called together reporters on the sidelines of the boxing competition on Friday afternoon and accused some judges and referees of match-fixing.
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Wu pointed out that in fact, it was Obreja who sought to influence some judges and referees, and that he held an "unauthorized press conference" that is unacceptable according to a code of conduct that Obreja himself had signed.
AIBA Executive Director Ho Kim said the AIBA leadership had received information that Obreja tried to influence some referees, so they excluded the suspicious referees from certain bouts, breaking Obreja's plan.
Obreja went angry and made the claims to the reporters without permission from any authorities, Kim added.
The AIBA has deprived Obreja of the post of Olympic technical delegate.
AIBA disciplinary member Thomas Virgets said the disciplinary commission was looking into the case of Obreja.
The AIBA Executive Committee Bureau has charged Obreja of corruption, misconduct toward judges and referees, and disparagement of AIBA's reputation and interests at the disciplinary commission.
In an official press release in response to Obreja's allegations, AIBA said that it has been in the process of reform since the election of AIBA President Wu Ching-Kuo in 2006 and the substantial improvement in transparency and honesty has been evident with only four protests in the 249 bouts to date at the Beijing Olympic Games.
(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2008)