AIBA have held their first referees and judges course of 2017 ©AIBA

An International Boxing Association (AIBA) referees and judges course has taken place in Assisi as the governing body seek to improve officiating.

The course was attended by 25 people, with the event in Italy open to all certified three-star referees and judges.

Around 20 countries were represented at the course, according to AIBA.

The governing body claim the event will be the first in a series to be held in 2017, with the goal of educating referees and coaches to improve standards.

"This course was just the beginning of the referee and judges education programme that we have scheduled for the coming year and the Olympic Cycle to Tokyo 2020 as a whole," said Ray Silvas, the chairman of AIBA's Referees and Judges Commission.

"But it was extremely positive to see so many of our officials wanting to attend.

"It is vital that we keep monitoring, assessing and developing the pool of referees and judges’ expertise we have as well as educating the wider boxing family, so that the sport can continue to flourish."

Changes to AIBA rules were made in response to a series of controversial decisions at the Rio 2016 Olympics ©Getty Images
Changes to AIBA rules were made in response to a series of controversial decisions at the Rio 2016 Olympics ©Getty Images

Providing officials with an update on changes to the technical and competition rules was a key part of the course.

The rules were approved by the AIBA Extraordinary Executive Meeting last December, following a thorough review.

This came after the world governing body suspended all 36 referees and judges used at the Rio 2016 Olympics pending an investigation after controversial decisions. 

An independent Swiss Timing electronic draw system will now be used to select the judges for each bout, AIBA have announced, with the Draw Commission replaced by a single official overseeing this technology.

All five of their scorecards will be used to determine the winner, instead of just three. 

Judges will also be placed on all four sides of the ring, while another change will see scores for each round only declared at the conclusion of a bout rather than at the end of rounds.

The course’s participants underwent a full written exam, as well as receiving practical assessment during sparring sessions.

According to AIBA, those who pass the course will continue to be evaluated throughout the opening rounds of the forthcoming World Series of Boxing season, which begins on February 3.