First Olympic Boxing Death – A Referee

The 2012 London Olympics has already experienced a boxing death. But it wasn’t one of the competitors. It was one of the referees.

On Friday, Garip Erkuyumcu of Turkey was discovered in his hotel room, dead at the age of 73. The apparent cause of death was a heart attack, although the results of an autopsy are being awaited.

Truth be told, Erkuyumcu was not going to actually be in the ring officiating events. He was part of the refereeing and judging commission for the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and was on hand to assist other officials.

According to Dr. Chink-Kuo Wu, President of the AIBA, “Garip was loved and respected by everyone who knew him and he will be missed by all of us at AIBA.”