RUSSIA: WRESTLING - Russian Olympic champion wrestler Sagid Murtazaliyev returns his Olympic gold in protest against dropping wrestling from the Olympic programme
Record ID:
859350
RUSSIA: WRESTLING - Russian Olympic champion wrestler Sagid Murtazaliyev returns his Olympic gold in protest against dropping wrestling from the Olympic programme
- Title: RUSSIA: WRESTLING - Russian Olympic champion wrestler Sagid Murtazaliyev returns his Olympic gold in protest against dropping wrestling from the Olympic programme
- Date: 27th February 2013
- Summary: MAKHACHKALA, DAGESTAN, RUSSIA (FEBRUARY 27, 2013) (REUTERS) **CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY** OLYMPIC WRESTLING CHAMPION SAGID MURTAZALIYEV DISPLAYING GOLD MEDAL FROM SYDNEY 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES VARIOUS OF MEDAL
- Embargoed: 14th March 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Russian Federation
- City:
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVAXBNCILQAX140SFQ0HDBVBIPF
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- Story Text: A Russian Olympic champion announced on Wednesday (February 27) that he was returning his gold medal to protest the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to exclude wrestling from Olympic core sports.
Olympic wrestling champion Sagid Murtazaliyev, who won his gold at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, said he would return his medal, together with an open letter, to the IOC.
"This medal belongs to our country, and to my beloved home, the Republic of Dagestan, and for this I want to express a sign of protest so that wrestling would not be excluded as an Olympic sport. It's an ancient sport. For me it's very important to express this sign of protest against the members of the Olympic Committee," Murtazaliyev, who is also a legislator for the ruling United Russia party in Russia's Dagestan, said.
The IOC made a recommendation to exclude wrestling from the list of so-called core sports, which could lead to the sport being removed from the 2020 Olympics.
"For Dagestan, for example, this is practically a national sport for us. All our children - millions of children - are involved (in wrestling) with the hope of one day winning an Olympic medal," Murtazaliyev said.
At a gym in Dagestan's Makhachkala where young wrestlers train, the popularity of wrestling in Dagestan was evident with fans crowded near the walls, and spilling onto the floor to watch matches.
"This is unacceptable - in all countries throughout the world, every people has their own national type of wrestling and at the Olympics there's freestyle wrestling , and what's more women are now also wrestling, the same as us, and want to show this sphere of activity. It's one of the most popular and one of the most ancient types of sports that humanity has thought up," wrestling coach Magomedkhan Aratsilov told Reuters.
"They don't get it. They think up some new kinds of sports. Freestyle wrestling is classic - it's been an Olympic sport for 100 years, from the very beginning. How can it be excluded? We - all coaches and judges - we, of course, heard of it yesterday and were shocked. Everyone is in shock. It will be a big waste both for us and for Russia. Of course it's not right. We're outraged," wrestler Ramiz Guseynov said.
Wrestling has been considered an Olympic sport as far back as the original games in ancient Greece.
The decision by the IOC means that wrestling would have to win out against seven other sports for a place on a slate of some 300 disciplines to be included in the Olympic Games.
A worldwide outcry followed the IOC's announcement, including another Olympic athlete turning in his gold wrestling medal, and the president of the international wrestling federation stepping down. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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