General

[pillage]

Cuban athlete might be banned after kicking ref - Yahoo! News
Cuban athlete might be banned after kicking ref By ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press Writer
Sat Aug 23, 12:01 PM ET



Cuba's Angel Matos deliberately kicked a referee square in the face after he was disqualified in a bronze-medal match, prompting the World Taekwondo Federation to recommend he be banned for life.

"We didn't expect anything like what you have witnessed to occur," said WTF secretary general Yang Jin-suk. "I am at a loss for words."

Yang also recommended Matos' coach be banned.

Matos was winning 3-2, with 1:02 left in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov. Matos was sitting there, awaiting medical attention, when he was disqualified for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.

Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, who will require stitches in his lip. Matos spat on the floor and was escorted out.

"This is an insult to the Olympic vision, an insult to the spirit of taekwondo and, in my opinion, an insult to mankind," Yang said.

Matos' coach was unapologetic.

"He was too strict," Leudis Gonzalez said, referring to the decision to disqualify Matos. Afterward, he charged the match was fixed, accusing the Kazakhs of offering him money.

Although the arena announcer said Matos and his coach were banned effective immediately, Yang said due process must be followed before officially banning the two.

In his first match, Matos defeated Italy's Leonardo Basile, then beat China's Liu Xiaobo 2-1 in the quarterfinals. But he lost to South Korean Cha Dong-min in the semis to land in the bronze-medal match.

"To me it was obvious he was unable to continue," Chilmanov said. "His toe on his left foot was broken."

But Chilmanov added: "Rules are rules. I'm happy with my medal."

Matos won the gold medal in this division — the men's over 80-kilograms (176 pounds) — at the 2000 Sydney Games, dedicating the victory to his mother, who died on the day of the opening ceremony. At the 2004 Athens Games, he finished 11th.

Matos' bad behavior followed a day of confusion on the mats and ended the four-day taekwondo competition, which was marred by several protests against judge's calls.

Earlier Saturday, China's double gold medalist Chen Zhong crashed out in the quarterfinals after initially being declared the winner.

World champion Maria del Rosario Espinoza, the eventual winner in the women's over 67-kilogram (147.4 pounds) class, was to fight Chen in the semifinals but the judges overturned an earlier ruling and made Britain's Sarah Stevenson the winner of the quarterfinal bout in which Chen scored in the closing seconds of the second round and then Stevenson tagged her with a head kick — worth two points — in the third.

The judges ruled Stevenson's kick wasn't solid enough for points, and Chen was declared the winner 1-0. After Britain protested, the result was changed to put Stevenson in the semifinal.

The decision brought loud jeers from the crowd. China did not appeal.

It was the first time a match result has been overturned since taekwondo became an official Olympic sport in 1990.

"It's been a really tough day, an emotional rollercoaster," Stevenson said. "I would have been devastated if they hadn't changed the decision."

Stevenson won bronze, along with Brazil's Natalia Falavigna.

Cha made it four-for-four gold medals for South Korea. In taekwondo, countries are allowed to enter only four athletes.

Cha fell behind when Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece nailed him with a head kick 15 seconds into the bout. But he came back with a body kick and a head shot of his own to take back the lead, adding another point to go 4-3 going into the third round.

Nikolaidis evened it out at 4-4 with a body kick, but Cha scored with just 18 seconds left to claim the gold in the men's over-80 kg (176 pounds) division.

Nikolaidis said he felt the judging was bad in the gold-medal match as well.

"I don't think in press conferences we should discuss referees and things," he said. "But I think I deserved a couple of things that didn't come to me."

Daba Modibo Keita of Mali, the 2007 world champion, was defeated in overtime in the quarterfinals by Nigeria's Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije, who ended up with the other bronze.

___

Associated Press writer Carlos Rodriguez contributed to this report.

[Moosepatrol]

As far as I am concerned ban him for life. No place on an international stage for that.

[Cunha]

Sounds like the whole of the TKD matches were pretty funked up. With that kind of fighting adrenaline going and thoughts about unjust calls whirling around in someones head, I can understand how someone would end up kicking a ref in the face.

If I did kick a ref in the face, I would expect to be banned. However, I cant really call that guy a horrible athlete for doing so because sometimes violence is just a way of expressing oneself.

:P

[Party of A-5]

Originally Posted by Moosepatrol

As far as I am concerned ban him for life. No place on an international stage for that.

+1, just disgusting.

[DelTASteve]

As a fan of fighting, I must say all of the fighting events have been lacking in referring this year. TKD, Boxing, and Wrestling have all had missed calls, and bad calls. Does that excuse a kick to the face? No.

[P3sWench]

With a ORG title of WTF, What the F$ck did they expect ;p

[Harbinger[TG]]

The videos keep getting pulled of youtube

[Duzzy]

Originally Posted by Cunha

Sounds like the whole of the TKD matches were pretty funked up. With that kind of fighting adrenaline going and thoughts about unjust calls whirling around in someones head, I can understand how someone would end up kicking a ref in the face.

I can't. I thought one of the primary lessons you're supposed to learn is control? And as for adrenaline, he'd been sitting for a minute, so a lame excuse is further removed from rationality in my opinion. That's like shooting a ref in a paintball match, it's totally unacceptable; unless it's self-defense... but the odds are?

If I did kick a ref in the face, I would expect to be banned. However, I cant really call that guy a horrible athlete for doing so because sometimes violence is just a way of expressing oneself.

Beating one's spouse, raping little children, and a whole host of other things are a way of expressing oneself, that doesn't make them right or good. Violence is an acceptable form of expression in very, very, few situations (Martial arts may be considered a "violent sport", but I don't think any of the participants are acting violently until their sole purpose is to hurt the other person.).

:P

Is he a good athlete? He might be, but as a person his character is lacking.

[Cunha]

The post was semi sarcastic.

In fighting types of sports the tendancy of human nature to direct attacks at officials they feel are cheating them is much higher.

And you are right. Control is supposed to be an important aspect of TKD as far as I know.

Thats why he should obviously be banned for life.

I am not trying to make excuses for him. That left broken toe kick was a career ending move as far as I am concerned. I am sure he regrets it by now.

If there is not a ban than the officials are essentially saying this type of behavior is okay. Its almost like when governments dont execute murderers or rapists.

[Duzzy]

Originally Posted by Cunha

The post was semi sarcastic.

Then I apologize for mid-reading the context of your post. Internet tone... what are you going to do?