CAS ASKED TO RULE ON SWEDISH WRESTLER CASE
Associated Press Worldstream
August 20, 2008 Wednesday 11:47 AM GMT
Wrestler Ara Abrahamian and his country’s Olympic committee asked
the Court of Arbitration for Sport to investigate a controversial
semifinal bout that so incensed the Swede that he dropped his bronze
medal in disgust and eventually had it stripped by the IOC.
CAS said Wednesday that a hearing will be held on Friday in Beijing
after it received a request from the National Olympic Committee
of Sweden and from Abrahamian against the International Wrestling
Federation.
The Geneva-based CAS said in a statement that it will decide whether
the international federation’s consideration of Abrahamian and the
Swedish Olympic committee’s requests "to change the result of the
bout and to sanction the officials in the bout comply with the Olympic
charter and FILA’s own internal rules."
CAS said Abrahamian and the Olympic committee "do not seek from the
CAS any particular relief" regarding the ranking of the medals for
the event, or a review of the IOC to exclude Abrahamian from the games.
Last Friday, the IOC disqualified Abrahamian and stripped his bronze
medal for dropping the medal in protest after Thursday’s disputed
loss. He was punished by the IOC for violating the spirit of fair
play during the medal ceremony.
Abrahamian was upset that a disputed penalty call decided his semifinal
match against Andrea Minguzzi of Italy, who went on to win the gold
medal in the Greco-Roman 84-kilogram division.
During the medal ceremony, the Armenian-born Abrahamian who also lost
a 2004 Olympic semifinal match on a disputed call took the bronze
from around his neck and dropped it on the mat as he walked away. He
did not take part in the rest of the medal ceremony.
The IOC executive board ruled Abrahamian’s actions amounted to
a political demonstration and a mark of disrespect to his fellow
athletes.
The 28-year-old Abrahamian had to be restrained from going after
matside officials following his loss to Minguzzi. He stormed away
from the area where interviews are conducted and slammed a door to
the dressing rooms.