For the first week-plus of the Rio 2016 Olympic boxing tournament, the officiating went largely unnoticed because there were no major controversies, a change from what usually occurs every four years.
But then things changed this week with three extremely controversial decisions in quick succession, after which the International Boxing Association (AIBA), the organization that runs amateur boxing, announced on Wednesday that it was removing an undisclosed number of referees and judges from the Olympics for failing to perform competently.
AIBA did not announce the names of the judges or referees it was removing and it also said the results of the controversial bouts will stand.
"Following recent judging decisions and after carrying out a thorough examination by the relevant Commission, AIBA has decided to take immediate and appropriate action," AIBA said in a statement. "Since the beginning of the Olympic Games, AIBA has conducted 239 bouts. The AIBA R&J [referees and judges] Commission has reviewed all decisions and determined that less than a handful of the decisions were not at the level expected and consequently it has been decided in accordance with the AIBA R&J evaluation committee that the concerned referees and judges will no longer officiate at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In accordance with AIBA Rules the result of all the bouts will stand."
Three bouts in particular caused near-universal outrage because the scoring did not seem to match the reality of the action in the ring.
Russian heavyweight Evgeny Tishchenko was awarded a unanimous three-round decision, 29-28 on all three judges' scorecards, in the gold medal match against Kazakhstan's Vassiliy Levit on Monday in a fight in which Levit appeared to hurt, dominate and batter Tishchenko around the ring only to lose. The judges assigned to that fight were Kheira Sidi Yakoub, Armando Carbonell Alvarado and Michael Gallagher.
On Tuesday, there were two more highly controversial results.
In the light welterweight quarterfinals, Uzbekistan's Fazliddin Gaibnararov was awarded a split decision against American Gary Antuanne Russell. Judges Roland Juhasz and Kestutis Bagdanavicius each scored the bout 29-28 for Gaibnararov, and judge Enrico Licini scored it 29-28 for Russell. Russell, however, appeared to dominate an opponent who ran for much of the fight and was so unwilling to engage that he was repeatedly warned by the referee that he needed to fight.
Also, Russia's Vladimir Nikitin was awarded a unanimous decision -- 29-28 on all three scorecards -- against Ireland's Michael Conlan in the bantamweight quarterfinals despite obvious dominance by Conlan.
Conlan was enraged by the decision -- as was the booing crowd -- that he spun around the ring and flipped double middle fingers to the judges, Jones Kennedy Silva do Rosario, Udeni Talik Bandara Kiridena and Mariusz Gorny, after the shocking scores were announced.
Conlan later accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of paying off the judges, tweeting at him, "Hey Vlad Putin, how much did they charge you bro??"
AIBA changed the scoring method for the Rio Olympics from the computerized scoring that essentially counted punches to the same 10-point must-system used in professional boxing. It also removed head gear from the male fighters. Both moves were part of an effort to make the bouts more fan friendly, but while the fights have generally been more entertaining the judging has still become an issue.
"AIBA will not shy away from its responsibilities and is fully committed to a zero tolerance policy towards fair play in boxing, always acting in the boxers' utmost interest," AIBA said in its statement. "The Olympic Games represent the pinnacle of all sports and Boxing has been part of this since 1904. It is essential AIBA stands to the values of respect, sportsmanship, excellence and remains committed to a fair and transparent sport.
"With regard to corruption, we would like to strongly restate that unless tangible proof is put forward, not rumors, we will continue to use any means, including legal or disciplinary actions to protect our sport and its R&J community whose integrity is constantly put into question. The organization will not be deterred by subjective judgments made by discontented parties. We welcome all parties to come forward and provide evidence in order to take appropriate and immediate action."