olympic boxing

[Norrin Radd]

it would seem that after a vote by the relative assocs that olympic boxing will now include the pro ranks.
by a vote of almost all the assocs it has been decided to allow the pro`s to fight at the 2016 games in Rio.
there will be a qualifying event in Venezuela for 26 places for them to be able to fight.
to me this is another fall from the olympic ideal.

 

[GB72]

Totally agree. Olympic boxing had it right before and was the pinnacle of the amateur game before turning pro. The Olympics has sold itself out again to get the publicity from big names taking part in events. You have to laugh now when the IOC talk about the ideals of the games.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

The reality is pretty much every other sport at the Olympics is now professional. Athletics, cycling, tennis, golf, football, baskteball, on and on it goes. However, I do think this is a poor decision as there was a very clear path within boxing that went through the amateur ranks, had the Olympics at the pinnacle and then you turned pro. Can't see top boxers entering so presumably middle to low level pro's will go. I will not bother watching the boxing this time round with pro's in the ring.

 

[Slab]

Didn't actually realise until reading it but I see that the Olympics cleared 'professionals' to take part in every sport 40 odd years ago and its just whether the individual sport federations allow pro's (or not) And, other than wrestling, boxing was the last to follow all other sport at the Olympics

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Poor choice and it's another step to ruining the whole Olympic idea

 

[Lord Tyrion]

The big one I remember changing was Basketball and the American "Dream Team". That really broke the image of amateurs at the Olympics even though other sports contained professionals before then. Athletes were getting envelopes of cash back in the '80's whilst pretending to be amateurs.

Good bit of info Slab.