5 Interesting Facts About Boy Pohan, Paris 2024 Olympics Boxing Referee from Indonesia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Muhammad Arisa Putra Pohan, or Boy Pohan, from Indonesia, is the only referee from the Southeast Asian region to officiate the boxing semi-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

"Of course, this is something the nation is proud of, and I also hope to be able to officiate in the final," Boy Pohan said in a press release from the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) on Tuesday, August 6.

Below is some trivia about Boy Pohan and his participation in the Olympic Games.

1. International Technical Officials

Boy followed in the footsteps of his mother, Sri Mawarni Hutagalung, as an International Technical Official (ITO) in boxing. When she was a boxing referee, Sri obtained a license from the Asian Amateur Boxing Federation (FAAB).

2. Tokyo and Paris

Boy's role as a referee in the Paris 2024 Olympic boxing ring is his second. His debut was at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Not only was he the first Indonesian referee to work in the Olympics, he was also the only boxing referee and judge from Southeast Asia to officiate in both Tokyo and Paris.

3. 40 Matches in Tokyo 2020

In the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Boy Pohan acted as a judge in 40 matches. As a referee, he officiated seven matches. At the time, he was also assigned to referee the men's middleweight (69-75 kilograms) boxing final at the Olympics at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on August 7, 2021

4. Paris 2024

In Paris, he took on five assignments, three matches a day, from the preliminary round to the quarterfinals. Boy said that in order to qualify as a referee at a world-class boxing event such as the Olympics, he had to go through a selection made by the IOC (International Olympic Committee), competing with referees and judges from 280 countries around the world.

At the European Championships in Poland and the qualifying rounds in Africa, a very strict selection process was carried out until the 44 best boxing referees from all over the world were selected. Each time they officiate a match, the referee's performance is directly assessed by Price Waterhouse Cooper as the auditor and by the Paris Boxing Unit, which is directly appointed by the IOC.

5. 15 referees left

Now, he said, there are 15 referees left, including himself, who will officiate the semifinals and finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. "In three assignments a day, you are a referee several times and a judge once. Everything is evaluated. If you are not good, you are sent home," he said.

ANTARA | SKOR.ID

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