It is generally considered to be one of the most memorable moments of an athlete’s life when they step onto the podium at the Olympic Games to receive their medal. However, not everyone is as happy as they should be.
Even athletes who finish second or third in Olympic competitions are typically overjoyed that they have secured a silver or bronze medal. This is because winning is the most important thing in an overwhelming majority of sports.
This could not be further from the actions of football players who have been photographed throwing away their runners-up medals after the finals of their respective competitions.
However, at the Olympics, sportsmanship and respect are expected of athletes. The motivation behind athletes’ success is frequently not financial gain, which is typically associated with professional sports. This is because the Olympics are a competition that is held at the highest level of competition.
Nevertheless, there are two well-known instances in which Olympians demonstrated a lack of respect for the historic event that was taking place.
Ibragim Samadov, a weightlifter from Russia, competed for the Unified Team at the Olympic Games held in Barcelona in 1992 due to the fact that the Soviet Union was still in the process of transitioning.
To add insult to injury, the competition was one of the most intense ever, with all three medallists lifting the same weight and coming in tied for first place.
Samadov was 0.5 kilogrammes heavier than his competitors, which meant that he was awarded the bronze medal. The winner was determined through a tiebreaker that was based on the body weight of the athletes.
After that, during the medal ceremony, Samadov, who was feeling disheartened, instead of leaning forward to accept his medal, he took it with his hand. After that, he dropped it on the podium and walked away, which was met with a chorus of boos from those who were present.
Pyrros Dimas, the champion of Greece, made an attempt to return the medal to Samadov, but Samadov accidentally threw it back down to the ground.
An announcement was made by the International Olympic Committee on August 3, 1992, stating that the Russian’s medal had been revoked and that he had been forbidden to participate in the games.
According to Dr. Tamas Ajan, who was serving as the general secretary for the International Weightlifting Federation at the time, he did not respect the International Olympic Committee, the spirit of the Games, his colleagues, the anthems, or the flags. This statement was made in reference to The New York Times.
“He did this in front of 4,000 people and a television audience of billions.”
Samdov was given a lifetime ban, which was upheld despite the fact that he expressed regret for his actions.
Ara Abrahamian, a wrestler from Sweden, was involved in a situation that was very similar to this one during the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.
In the semifinal of the Greco-Roman wrestling competition, Abrahamian was defeated by Andrea Minguzzi of Italy. Minguzzi was competing in the 84 kilogramme weight class.
According to him, there were “blatant errors in judging,” and both he and his coach accused the officials of being corrupt.
And despite the fact that he had won the bronze medal, he was not particularly pleased. He quickly removed his medal before placing it on a mat, despite the fact that he had accepted it with gratitude.
After a hearing, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) promptly disqualified him and banned him for life, after which the medal became obsolete.
“The awards ceremony is a highly symbolic ritual, acknowledged as such by all athletes and other participants,” the International Olympic Committee was quoted as saying in a statement.
In and of itself, any disruption caused by any athlete, and especially by a medallist, is an insult to the other athletes as well as to the Olympic Movement. In addition to this, it goes against the principles of fair play.
The suspension was lifted in 2009, but he never competed in wrestling again after that.
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