Commonwealth Sport has rejected allegations of racism made by Ugandan boxer Aziz Abdul following his disqualification from the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with organizers insisting the decision against him was a legitimate playground decision made under the competition’s official procedures.Abdul, who was disqualified during his super-heavyweight quarter-final against England’s Damar Thomas, claimed officials had treated him unfairly because he was “a black African”. His comments were later dismissed by Commonwealth Sport president Donald Rukare, who said the athletes were treated fairly and without discrimination.Controversy followed a bout that ultimately guaranteed Thomas at least a bronze medal while ending Abdul’s hopes of securing Uganda’s first Commonwealth boxing medal since 1990.
The disqualification ends Abdul’s medal bid
The quarter final got more and more physical as it went on.Abdul was first given a standing count during the opening round, resulting in a point deduction.He was then penalized again for the repeated punch after the referee had called a time-out between the fighters.The contest came to an abrupt conclusion early in the third round when referee Manuel Vilarino of Argentina ruled that Abdul had bumped Thomas while the pair were attacking.The decision resulted in the immediate disqualification of Abdul, sending Thomas to the semi-finals and guaranteeing the English boxer at least a bronze medal.At the time of the arrest, Abdul was tracking all the judges’ scorecards.
Abdul accuses unfair treatment
Speaking afterwards, Abdul disputed the referee’s decision and the way the contest had been officiated.“Of course it’s unfair,” I said.“When you look at England’s previous fights, their boxers play a lot of bullshit. They cannot judge them wrong.“I took a light punch and they counted it. I landed a heavy punch on him and they deducted my points and warned me.”Abdul then claimed that his nationality and history had influenced the officer.“I’m a black African, I know,” I said.“It’s God’s plan. I don’t know why the officials are afraid of this fight. Why can’t they let this fight continue?”He also insisted that the decisive incident was accidental.“He elbowed me. He elbowed me. It [the head movement] it was not intentional. I tried to go back. How can I hit someone? I don’t have “.“He was the person they wanted to win. He was the winner before. He knew that if he wasn’t defeated, he couldn’t win the fight.”BBC Sport also reported that while answering questions after the contest, Abdul referred to Thomas with a racial slur.
Commonwealth Sport rejects the allegations
Commonwealth Sport president Donald Rukare rejected Abdul’s allegations, saying the organizers have confidence in the integrity of the competition.Rukare, who is also from Uganda, told BBC Sport:“We at Commonwealth Sport believe that every athlete is treated fairly and without discrimination.“We are inclusive. It was a playground decision and something that was said in the heat of the moment.”He added that the organizers believed that the competition was conducted fairly.“As far as we’re concerned, we have a good relationship with world boxing, the athletes are treated well, as far as we’re concerned it was a fair playing field.”Rukare also indicated that Abdul’s comments could be scrutinized internally by the Ugandan delegation.“We have a team leader and a mission chef and I’m sure the proper channels will be followed.“We have a code of conduct. I am not representing Uganda here. I am sure the matter will be dealt with appropriately with our own code of conduct.”
Thomas turns his attention to the semi-finals
Thomas admitted that advancing through a disqualification was not how he had hoped to reach the last four.“It’s not the way I wanted to win,” said the English boxer.“I can’t change what happened today, but I can control how I box on Friday.”
Abdul’s family attracted attention before the Games
Before the tournament, Abdul attracted attention because he is the grandson of former Ugandan president Idi Amin.Ahead of the super-heavyweight competition, Abdul told BBC Sport that he wanted to become the new “King of Scotland”, referring to a title that Idi Amin awarded himself in 1976.Idi Amin ruled Uganda after seizing power in a military coup in 1971. His government has been widely documented by historians as being responsible for widespread human rights abuses, with estimates suggesting that hundreds of thousands of people were killed during his rule. He was also known by the nickname “the Butcher of Uganda”.Abdul previously said he never met his grandfather. In a previous interview, he also stated that he was “inspired” by Amin, although it was not clear if he was referring specifically to his grandfather’s boxing or other aspects of his life.Idi Amin himself had been a boxer before entering politics and developed a long-standing fascination with Scotland after serving with the King’s African Rifles. He was known for wearing kilts, playing the bagpipes and proclaiming himself “King of Scotland”, a title that later inspired the Oscar-winning film The Ultimate King of Scotland.The boxer entered Glasgow 2026 aiming to secure Uganda’s first Commonwealth Games boxing medal since the 1990 Auckland Games, but his campaign instead ended in controversy following his disqualification and the subsequent rejection of his allegations by Commonwealth Sport.