Paris. As boxing in the Paris Olympics enters the semifinals on Wednesday, only 15 selected referees remain, including Muhammad Arisa Putra Pohan from Indonesia.

To reach Paris, Arisa had to go through rigorous selection phases during the European Championship in Poland and the pre-Olympic qualification in Africa, where 44 referees were qualified for the Olympics.

Since the Olympic boxing began on July 27, Arisa has been assigned to five bouts, either as a referee or a judge. Like his fellow referees, he has been subject to evaluation and assessment by PricewaterhouseCoopers auditors and IOC-sanctioned boxing authorities in Paris after every match.

“There are now only 15 referees left to officiate the semifinals and finals. The rest have been dismissed due to below-standard performance in previous refereeing. We earn points for correct decisions and lose points for mistakes,” Arisa said on Tuesday.

Paris is not his first Olympic assignment, as he made his debut at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics.

“I am now the only referee left from Southeast Asia. I hope I get assignments for the final matches," Arisa said.

He expressed his hope to see Indonesian boxers compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to strengthen Indonesia’s presence in the sport.