Two Irish boxers have been issued “severe reprimands” by the International Olympic Committee after being adjudged to have placed bets on fights at the Rio Olympics.
Michael Conlan and Steven Donnelly were named on Wednesday afternoon as being the two boxers to have violated the rules.
According to the IOC’s disciplinary commission’s report, Donnelly bet against himself in his round of 16 bout against Tuvshinbat Byamba – but incredibly he went on to win the fight, despite backing his Mongolian opponent.
The report reads:
‘Steve Donnelly placed a large number of cumulative bets ─ eight altogether ─ on various boxing events at the Rio Olympic Games, two of which were on his own match against Tuvshinbat Byamba.
‘The Athlete had bet that his opponent would win. The bets placed were of a relatively low amount of money, yet they had created opportunities to make large amounts of money if they had been successful.’
The IOC has sanctioned Donnelly with a ‘a severe reprimand’ and the boxer is: ‘required to demonstrate, in order to have his accreditation validated for the next edition of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020, in the event that he is eligible for that competition, that he has successfully followed the educational programme of the IOC’.
Donnelly went out in the quarter finals at the Games, and is due to turn professional.
Conlan is also turning professional, after crashing out of the Games following a highly controversial loss in the quarter-finals.
The Belfast boxer, according to the disciplinary reports, placed bets on August 8 and 9.
The report reads:
‘The IOC Integrity Betting Intelligence System (IBIS) identified that the Athlete had bet on boxing matches; and that the cumulative bets were not on his own bouts, but that at least two of them had been placed on his own weight class.
‘The bets placed were of a relatively low amount of money (maximum of GBP 200), yet they had created opportunities to make large amounts of money if they had been successful. All the bets had been lost.’
Conlan has also been ‘severely reprimanded” and must ‘demonstrate, in order to have his accreditation validated for the next edition of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020, in the event that he is eligible for that competition, that he has successfully followed the educational programme of the IOC’.
You can read the full report on Donnelly here, and on Conlan here.
