Wrestler who quit was right

206 Comments

abran1984, on 08/24/2008, -3/+402Does this mean he gets his medal back? Or is this just a "sucks to be you, you were right!" kind of thing?
Lunarsight, on 08/24/2008, -3/+238I think he had the right to make a statement by throwing down the bronze metal in protest.

It sure beats crane-kicking the referee. Had he done that, I would have agreed that it was a bad idea

During the match, they had asked for the video footage to be reviewed, and the people calling the shots refused. So, they did try and handle this the 'right' way at the time.

.
inico, on 08/24/2008, -14/+226respect! he did what needed to be done!
braditude101, on 08/24/2008, -24/+183He should have followed in the footsteps of the Taekwondo fighter!
FreddieD, on 08/24/2008, -5/+161He needs to learn to hit his opponent with the steel chair when the ref isn't looking.
Tiltmenot, on 08/24/2008, -8/+114Protesting quietly? Dear god. You guy's are in love with rules aren't you? An athlete dedicates every hour of his life all year around to excel at his or hers sport. They give up EVERYTHING else to achieve their goals. That's their way of life. It's hard, it's tough and it's brutal. A professional athlete is bound to raise hell when they are robbed of what's rightfully theirs by some greasy, fat, politically bribed swine.
Khast, on 08/24/2008, -10/+110Eh, watching some of the age ordeals with the gymnastics, and a few other events....I would begin to wonder just how rigged the Olympics are this time around... If they aren't being rigged, I would be amazed...

It's all political....
mambanamba, on 08/24/2008, -3/+91how is he supposed to go through the appeals process if they denied his protest? he got screwed over not only at this olympics but last olympics as well. if he didn't make such a spectacle of himself by throwing the medal down and he just acceped bronze, the error would have gone unnoticed and they probably would never have even admitted they were wrong and the rules would remain flawed.
gubbie, on 08/24/2008, -5/+93the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKFV807hBHg
DigitAl56K, on 08/24/2008, -1/+87But those footsteps go over someones face!
EffYoo, on 08/24/2008, -0/+84Yeah, they left out the most important part of the story
wallish, on 08/24/2008, -0/+77Not only did they refuse, as overshoot mentioned above one of them outright LAUGHED! That, to me, is further from the "Olympic Spirit" than a symbolic protest like throwing the medal down.
Someguy101, on 02/19/2009, -0/+72I don't think he would want the bronze medal even if they decided to give it to him.
camintmier, on 08/24/2008, -8/+79This is a case where the phrase "I was robbed!" is actually true.
Lloydinator, on 08/24/2008, -4/+69You'll be hearing more similar stories to this after the closing ceremony, on the basis of unfair judgment and other scandals.
dema, on 08/24/2008, -1/+44I don't really pay a whole lot of attention to the Olympics, but this time around I have caught a couple of things. Yesterday I watched the boxing finals, and wow, how incredibly stupid was that. They have this ridiculous points system somehow related to the gloves hitting certain parts of the body and then judges pressing a button within one second to count the point. I saw random points given where gloves hit the ground, or totally missed the mark, and even when the OTHER fighter got a hit. And there were numerous occasions where a fighter would get an obvious hit and end up with no point.

How the hell is it even remotely possible that a system that flawed could be used in the Olympics? Even the fight commentators were talking about how terrible it was. I suppose this is mostly unrelated, just a general complaint about how poorly run this thing is.
Data33, on 08/24/2008, -0/+41He didn't get his medal back. That's what Swedish news said, at least.
Radan, on 08/24/2008, -7/+48The thing is according the our must trusted Swedish news (Aright, Aftonbladet, men käft) he didn't even want to try to wrestle for the bronze medal after he got screwed. It was only after a couple of his friends managed to persuade him only hours before the match that he did it. So, he most likely doesn't even want the medal to begin with (maybe if anything for the prize money).

To be honest, and now I'm talking as a Swede, I'm not even sure that I think it's fair for him to get his medal back if he did.

He did get screwed pretty badly, but either way he did ALSO throw his medal on the floor which is a terribly rude thing to do, especially in the Olympic games.

Now, I'm not saying that I didn't agree with what he did, because I do, but he KNEW what he was doing when he threw that medal, and what the consequences would be.
LimeParrot, on 08/24/2008, -1/+39I think they should give back his bronze and give him a sincere apology. (and obviously, fix the loophole)
Darunium, on 08/24/2008, -3/+38Dugg 'cause throwing away an olympic medal is ballsy, much respect.
mikaelhkansson, on 08/24/2008, -2/+34He said Armenian not American, and as he is born there that is correct.
nitemonkey, on 08/24/2008, -0/+31He did not kick the referee like that Cuban guy. He simply put the medal on the mat and walked away.
He knew that the judging was severely wrong, and was not given any avenue of appeal. If the judging is so blatantly wrong, how can anyone have respect for the results? The medals contain no merit.
I really feel for the guy, because I know it must feel like robbery, and I also know that many Olympic sport hierarchies demand respect without necessarily earning it.

-end of rant
whatthefu, on 08/24/2008, -0/+29Either way, that sucks. You train so hard for years to get where you are, but there's always that chance that a bad call or unfair loophole/ruling causes you to lose. And the Olympics only comes every four years, so you may very well be too old the next time around.
WafflesID, on 08/24/2008, -8/+36Spirit of the olympics?! WTF does that even mean these days?

It's a corrupt, commercialized "My country is better than your country" competition. You know damn well that people will cheat their way to the top given the opportunity, sometimes with their governments knowledge.

Besides, you dedicate your life for that moment, and to have that moment stolen because of something like this? I agree with what he did. His effort didn't deserve a bronze, thats a slap in the face.
inactive, on 08/24/2008, -3/+30A real wrestle would do what he did, protest quietly.

Wrestles are some of the most humble, quiet athletes I've ever met. I love going to tournaments and just seeing piles of people laying down on the corners of mats and listening to music, maybe chatting with their friends or practising with coaches instead of all the ***** talking I see and tournaments for sports like hockey or such.
inactive, on 08/24/2008, -6/+30Sometimes you have to "go there" to get things done.

He went there.
supermanred, on 08/24/2008, -3/+27Did anyone read the article?

He's right that there should be an appeals process, they didn't exactly agree that he was right about the call.
inactive, on 08/24/2008, -0/+23It's worse than you think, all 3 judges have to hit the button within 1 second of the punch or no point is given.
inactive, on 08/24/2008, -0/+23@lechechocolate lol, you can't read
bmystry, on 08/24/2008, -3/+26Exactly
rabidg00se, on 08/24/2008, -0/+23That judge's candy ass, no less.
narfizzle, on 08/24/2008, -7/+29Hell yeah, I would've done the same. What a true Armenian.
DephexTwin, on 08/24/2008, -0/+22You have a terrific sense of humor.
overshoot, on 08/24/2008, -1/+21You should know that when he (the wrestler) complained about the ruling right after the match, one of the judges just laughed in his face, and that's why he had to be restrained.

Picture of the judge laughing, here:

http://www.expressen.se/sport/1.1265505/domaren-ha ...

I've not found any video... "removed for copyright reasons"...
eliburford, on 08/24/2008, -6/+24Picture, if anyone is interested: http://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/2008/08/23/court_ ...
ICSU, on 08/24/2008, -5/+23The reason why he was stripped of the medal is still valid.
PopcornDave, on 08/24/2008, -0/+17Hasn't it been that way for quite some time? I remember hearing stories back as far as the late 60's of political judging of the gymnasts and figure skaters. The Eastern block countries were always being accused of upping their own and downgrading other competitors.
addictedidol, on 08/24/2008, -0/+17I never figured out why you can't show your true emotions to a program that screws you over. You have to respect an entity that doesn't respect you.

And yes I know that throwing tantrums isn't the best idea either
inactive, on 08/24/2008, -1/+18It's no suprise, I've never seen such bad judging, even in local events.

I don't know what's up this year but a lot of medals are going to the wrong people.
DephexTwin, on 08/24/2008, -0/+17LITERACY FIAL!
Lunarsight, on 08/24/2008, -5/+21The reason why the people saying he could have handled it better are being dugg down is because many people feel he handled it in a reasonable manner.

Sometimes you do have to be a squeaky wheel, or the process just steamrolls right over you without a second thought.

I think he was squeaky enough, without overdoing it [sending a referee into flight via a kick, for instance].
DocHoliday22, on 08/24/2008, -4/+20Mohammed Ali threw his Gold medal in the river. Sometimes you have to do this sot of thing to make people listen.
SaberSHO, on 08/24/2008, -2/+17Wrong athlete genius....this is the wrester, not the tai kwon do'er
Dundasbro, on 08/24/2008, -3/+18Emolympians?
brusty, on 08/24/2008, -1/+15Instant replay in ALL sports. Getting it right is the best way to achieve fairness. I'm glad this guy is being supported, and this isn't the only event where we need to take a better look at things.
ICSU, on 08/24/2008, -2/+16Because only sportsmen work hard and get screwed sometimes...
PopcornDave, on 08/24/2008, -1/+15What are the events? Moping, cutting and makeup application?
RobotKeaton, on 08/24/2008, -21/+35He should take that bronze medal, shine it up real nice, turn that sonuva bitch sideways, and shove it straight up that judges ass!

That's what a real wrestler would do.
zlimness, on 08/24/2008, -3/+17Anyone caught taking performance enhancing drugs are suspended for two years and most get away with keeping the medals and records, after two years they can go back to competing again.

Anyone protesting against unfair treatment gets suspended for life and loses the medal.

Olympics, is all a politics, man.
RobotKeaton, on 08/24/2008, -6/+19They manage to do that between all the Hell in a Cell and Ladder matches? That's incredible.
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