By Omulo Okoth
I am not competent to know what has caused Conjestina Achieng's apparent mental disorder. Like everybody else, I will have to wait for the doctors treating her at Mathari Mental Hospital where she was admitted on Wednesday to diagnose the ailment. But even that, the laws of ethics cannot allow the doctors to disclose details of her ailment.
I sympathise with Conje and wish her a quick recovery. This is not the predicament I had expected this sporting heroine, who rose to the national limelight in a hitherto male domain to end up in.
Before her entry into the boxing scene, amateur boxing was almost gone. She had flair and flamboyance which attracted instant attention, what with her photogenic hairstyles and her gift of the garb.
Conje fended off bullies with verbal dexterity and an intimidating line: "Atajua Conje ni nani (She will know what stuff Conje is made of)." I admire this girl, I must confess.
While sharing a table with her at a past function, I jokingly asked if she would tolerate a physically abusive partner. In a naughty smile, she said, "African women, especially Luos, must submit to their partners." This line completely disarmed me. I realised that she was just a human being, after all.
Lately, this heroine has shown predilection for eccentricism, which made the public wonder what was becoming of her. A few years ago, she had a very public spat with her coaches, whom she sent packing at an unusually high rate.
That is when I noticed that something was the matter. But I thought success was getting into her head.
Now that this has happened, I may want to ask a few questions regarding professional boxing. There are many professional boxing bodies around, some with questionable CV.
But how serious do these professional boxing bodies take medication? Accept my disclaimer again that I don’t know whether Conje’s condition is a result of blows she received during her colourful, if eventful, career.
But, I cannot rule it out completely given my long experience as a sportsman. I have many boxer friends. A few have displayed signs of mental disorder, especially in their sunset years. Some lost their mental balance all together.
But what disgusts me about boxing is that it is the only sport where the ultimate aim is to injure the opponent.
The more serious the injury, the more people celebrate. The more its equally bellicose fanatics cheer wildy (ua, ua, ua (kill, kill kill), the more tempted the antagonists strive to instil more injury on each other.
Hence calls by civil groups, especially in the West that it be banned.
Boxers are extremely susceptible to permanent brain injury. Boxers, fans of boxing, or parents considering letting their child box, must consider a number of things regarding the danger inherent to the sport.
Although other sports like rallying, horse racing and wrestling are also dangerous, boxing rates higher than them all.
Lawyer Timothy Titolo writes in his blog ‘Injury Law’ that:
"Research has shown that 80-90 per cent of professional boxers will suffer some form of lasting brain injury. In most cases the problems are rather mild, but nearly 25 per cent of boxers will face severe, potentially debilitating brain damage. Studies have produced evidence that repeated blows to an unprotected head slowly cause deterioration of brain cells and health. When a fighter dies after a fight or develops dementia well after retiring, it is typically considered to be a result of the long term effects of routine beatings."
The new Sports Act will have to reign on governing of professional boxing and ensure that, by law, proper medication is on stand by at all fights. This paper reported recently how boxers were sharing mouth guards. Head gears are few. This exposes our boxers to serious health risk. As I pray and hope that Conje regains her health pretty soon, authorities should come to terms with the reality that reckless organisation of combat sports is a banal and must be checked.
— The writer is the Sports Editor of The Standard (iomulo@standardmedia.co.ke)
