By Ronnie Nathanielsz
The controversy over judging in the Beijing Olympic Games has hardly subsided and the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) faces another problem.
Romanian Boxing Federation president Rudel Obreja, a former vice president who was suspended during the Beijing Olympic boxing competition last August 22 following suspicion of attempts to influence the assignment of judges is taking issue with the AIBA leadership and is demanding their ouster.
Obreja has said he will raise the issue of accusations that he cheated in the selection of judges before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Obreja also called for the resignation of AIBA director Kim Ho and president Wu Ching-Ko who replaced the discredited Anwar Chowdhry in 2006 and has been commended even by the International Olympic Committee for his efforts to clean up the sport.
Obreja was quoted as saying “I want Kim to leave AIBA for the damage he has done and the unfair methods he used at the Beijing Games.”
During the World Boxing Championships in Chicago last year one of the Romanian boxers Bogdan Dinu accused Obreja of having framed-up shoplifting charges against him and two other Romanian boxers. As a result the fighters were banned by AIBA but the suspension was recently reduced to one year.
However, the Romanian boxing team was dissolved and coach Relu Auras dismissed.
Dinu claimed that he had declined a proposal from Obreja to turn pro. He told the site nineoclock.ro “I do not discount the possibility that this whole story (shoplifting) may be his revenge. It must be a frame-up because I am innocent.” Obreja flatly denied the claims.
