By IANS
Chicago : Three Romanian pugilists and their team manager have been ejected from the ongoing World Boxing Championships here and received a life ban from AIBA, the sport’s world governing body, after being caught shoplifting in a department store, reports Xinhua.
According to an AIBA statement Sunday, a local police report indicated that Marius Bogdan Dinu, 21, Ronald Gavril, 21, and Gabriel Julian Stan, 20, were caught shoplifting in the Nordstrom Department Store here Friday evening.
AIBA considers this type of conduct completely unacceptable and sent all three athletes and the team manager home Sunday, the statement said. The three boxers had already been eliminated from the tournament and all four involved received a life ban from amateur boxing.
“This misbehaviour tarnishes the image and reputation of AIBA and the sport of boxing, all other federations and the other athletes competing in the World Boxing Championships,” said AIBA President Wu Ching-kuo.
“The measures AIBA has taken are a strong illustration of the new AIBA and its zero tolerance for misbehaviour inside or outside the ring and a reminder to all teams that all team managers are responsible for the actions and movements of their athletes at all moments during the tournament.”
Romanian boxing federation president Rudel Obreja issued a public apology Sunday to AIBA, the local organising committee and other boxers.
“Unfortunately, the consequences of that bad gesture are even greater, as Romania’s chances to have more athletes at the next year’s Olympics decreased,” Obreja said.
The AIBA also removed four judges, Suren Ghazaryan of Armenia, Seppo Lujanen of Finland, Shadrack Monethi of Lesotho and Radisa Saric of Serbia from refereeing and judging duties for the remainder of the tournament, which ends Nov 3.
AIBA did not disclose why the officials were being punished.