16 June 2011
Former Lagos State Boxing Coach, Joe Mensah, has urged the organisers of the 17th National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt to use only judges certified by the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA).
Mensah said on Tuesday in Lagos that only judges acquainted with the current rules of the sport, could help to promote boxing in Nigeria.
He said that good judgment at tournaments would help produce potential boxers who could win laurels for Nigeria in future international competitions.
He also said that many of the judges were not current and thereby misled boxers on the areas where they could gain more points at international competitions.
The coach urged judges selected to officiate at the festival to be fair so as not to cause disaffection among the boxers.
He said that poor officiating had contributed to the selection of wrong boxers who later performed dismally outside the country.
“Boxing judges who will officiate at the National Sports Festival should be AIBA certified for the sport to be promoted through fairness.
“Judges should also be free from biases which could dampen the interest of good boxers or affect boxers performances at competitions,” Mensah said.
He expressed the confidence that Lagos boxers would win the boxing event because they had prepared adequately with series of competitions.
Mensah listed some of the competitions as the Saturday Boxing Show, Opeyemi Bamidele Boxing Competition and Adopt a Talent Hunt Programme.
AllAfrica – All the Time
Read the original post:
Nigeria: Joe Mensah Wants Only Aiba Certified Judges for NSF