Swedish Wrestler Rejects Bronze Medal

Swedish wrestler, Ara Abrahamian came to win Gold and didn’t want anything to do with the Bronze Medal he was awarded in the 84kg category of the Greco-Roman wrestling event. Although he grudgingly mounted the medal stand, he tossed his medal on the mat after the ceremony and walked away.

Said Abrahamian, a two-time world champion, to Reuters News Agency, “I think the semifinal shows that FILA (world wrestling governing body) does not play fair. I didn’t deserve to lose. The system is corrupt.”

Unfortunately, his outburst is overshadowing the Gold Medal performance of Andrea Minguzzi of Italy and that of Silver Medalist, Zoltan Fodor of Hungary. It also shows an appalling lack of sportsmanship. The IOC indicated that there would be a disciplinary hearing about the incident.