South Korean amateur boxing officials indulged in a subtle form of bribery during the Seoul Olympic Games, New Zealand referee Keith Walker said.
Walker left Seoul during the first week of the Olympics after being assaulted in the ring after a South Korean boxer lost a bout he was controlling.Walker told The Dominion newspaper that he was not offered money and he hadn't heard of cash offers, but that lavish hospitality from Korea Amateur Boxing Federation officials became "an embarrassment."
"They were constantly offering gifts of 24-carat gold jewelry, key rings, belt buckles, jade pieces and evenings at very expensive restaurants," he said. "One was left with the definite impression that one was meant to respond to that treatment in a way favorable for Korea."
As the competition went on, he realized that something "funny" was going to happen.
"Unfortunately, it did with that outrageous decision against the American fighter Roy Jones. That was a disastrous and tragic decision for amateur boxing because the whole world saw it," Walker said.