AIBA allows professional boxers to compete at Rio Olympics

In a landmark decision, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) has allowed professional boxers to compete in the upcoming Olympics Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro.

According to Sport24, a total of 88 members of the AIBA voted in favour of the move while none of them voted against and four abstained during a meeting at an extraordinary congress in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Backing the move, AIBA president Wu Ching-Kuo said that allowing the sport's best athletes to compete at such a prestigious global event would elevate the standard of boxing.

The decision, however, is unlikely to see the sport's biggest name participate in the Olympics as it is already too late to take part in a qualifying contest.

The sport of boxing had undergone number of changes in recent years, with women being allowed to participate in the competition from 2012 and headguards no longer being made compulsory from Rio.