LONDON - Olympic boxing's governing body said it had asked American broadcaster NBC to cease its ringside commentary at the London boxing arena on Friday because they were disrupting officials.

NBC, a unit of Comcast Corp, was the only broadcaster allowed to commentate from the ringside floor and the International Boxing Association (AIBA) said it had offered the team a space with the other media but that they decided to leave instead.

"NBC commentators were offered a booth in the media tribune like other broadcasters because they were very disturbing for AIBA officials - even during bouts they were not broadcasting - being located at the edge of the Field of Play," an AIBA spokesman said in an emailed statement.

"They claimed that since no boxers from the USA were still in the running, they didn't want to stay anyway."