A Swedish wrestler has been disqualified and stripped of his Olympic bronze medal for dropping it in protest.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Ara Abrahamian had been kicked out of the Beijing Games for violating the spirit of fair play during the medal ceremony.
Abrahamian walked off the podium and dropped the bronze medal on the mat after taking third in the Greco-Roman 84kg division on Thursday.
He was angry about a disputed penalty call that decided his semifinal match against Italian Andrea Minguzzi, who went on to win the gold medal.
The IOC executive board ruled the wrestler’s action amounted to a political demonstration and a mark of disrespect to his fellow athletes.
It said no athlete would receive Abrahamian’s medal.
from: sbs.com.au
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August 21st, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I am A Swedish American, his name is not Swedish so he is no disgrace to the Swedes of Sweden but he is a disgrace to Sweden.
His behaviour is not Swedish behaviour.