British boxer Joe Joyce “trusts” he will be awarded an Olympic gold medal after an independent investigation found officials manipulated the outcome of matches at Rio 2016.
Joyce’s super heavyweight final, in which he lost to France’s Tony Yoka, was one of 11 “suspicious” bouts.
Professor Richard McLaren, the head of the investigation, said a system for the manipulation of bouts was in place.
“I firmly believe I was the winner and deserved the gold,” Joyce said.
The 36-year-old, who said the discovery of manipulation was “sad to see” added: “On the day I did not get that decision and at the time I accepted that.
“I have scanned the McLaren report and have read that there was corruption in [governing body] AIBA and that corruption affected the result of my gold medal match with Tony Yoka.
“If corruption has taken place, and it appears that it has, I trust AIBA and the IOC [International Olympic Committee] will ensure the integrity of the sport is upheld and award me the gold medal.
“I will be considering the report in detail with my legal team and await the decision of AIBA and the IOC. Corruption should never be allowed to succeed.”
In his report, Professor McLaren said the “seeds had been sown” for the corruption years before the Rio Games.
He found the manipulation structure within AIBA was made possible because key personnel decided the rules did not apply to them.
The key to the success of the corruption was the “connivance, approval and complicit acknowledgement and support” by the then-executive director Karim Bouzidi and then-president Wu Ching-kuo.
The IOC has not yet commented on the findings of the investigation.
