Cuban athlete banned for life after kicking taekwondo referee

[Otto 83]

BEIJING (AP) -- A Cuban taekwondo athlete and his coach were banned for life after Angel Matos kicked the referee in the face following his bronze-medal match disqualification.

Cuban coach Leudis Gonzalez offered no apology for Matos' actions during the men's over-80 kg (176 pounds) match.

Matos was winning 3-2, with 1:02 in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov. He 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. Matos then spat on the floor and was escorted out.

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

"This is a strong violation of the spirit of taekwondo and the Olympic Games. The sanctions are the following and are effective immediately: Lifetime ban of the coach and athlete in all championships sanctioned by the (World Taekwondo Federation) and at the same time, all records of this athlete at the Beijing Games will immediately be erased," said the announcer, reading a ####### release.

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."

Matos won the gold medal in this division 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' tantrum followed a day of confusion on the mats.

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

The day was rife with upsets.

Working her way through the easier of the two pools, Norway's relatively unheralded Nina Solheim won her first two bouts with a comfortable point margin and defeated 2005 world champion Natalia Falavigna of Brazil in the semis to meet world champion Maria del Rosario Espinoza of Mexico for the over 67-kg (147.4 pounds) title.

Espinoza won the final handily, going ahead in the first round and never falling behind. The final score was 4-1.

She had her hands full getting through the quarters 4-2 against Sweden's Karolina Kedzierska, who launched several high kicks that did not connect. Espinoza then took on Britain's Sarah Stevenson, the 2006 European champion, in the semis. Espinoza dominated the match, earning her final berth with a 4-1 win.

Espinoza was to fight Chen in the semis, but the judges overturned an earlier ruling and made 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, and 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.

"I obviously had scored. I don't know if they weren't watching or what," Stevenson said. "That's one of the things I hate about this sport."

Stevenson won bronze, along with Brazil's 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.

Daba Modibo Keita of Mali, the 2007 world champion, was defeated in overtime in the quarterfinals by Nigeria's Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije. The Nigerian then went up against Athens silver medalist Nikolaidis.

Nikolaidis scored with a head kick in the third round, then again in the final second to advance to the final.

The bronzes went to Chilmanov, who beat Matos, and Chukwumerije

[Moto-zutto 0]

kinda weird situation.... you have a time limit if someone commits a foul..it's like kicking a guy in his "bait and tackle" area, and he has only 1 minute MAX. to get ready to fight....

[Teacher Mark 53]

He didn't even knock him out. What a wussy.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Now thats olympic spirit,lol

[Sonshyne 2]

Wow that was really stupid of him!

[DeadPoolX 9]

Wow that was really stupid of him!

No kidding. You never hit the referee -- even if he deserves it. Perhaps in some cases the referee might be wrong, but knocking his block off won't persuade anyone to see your side of the story.

[Yiyi and Chris 0]

Go Cuba!!!! Lol...

[Flames9_RN 358]

I think 2 water polo players from Serbia went at each other in the locker room, after they lost to the USA! They were playing short handed in this mornings bronze medal game

[Sonshyne 2]

Wow that was really stupid of him!

No kidding. You never hit the referee -- even if he deserves it. Perhaps in some cases the referee might be wrong, but knocking his block off won't persuade anyone to see your side of the story.

Exactly! Now he can't participate in the Olympics ever again. I'm sure he was all hyped up after the fact. Today... He probably feeling like a real JackAzz!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Castro defends athlete who kicked judge in face

Fidel Castro on Monday defended the Cuban taekwondo athlete who kicked a referee in the face at the Beijing Olympics, saying Angel Matos was rightfully indignant over his disqualification from the bronze-medal match.

...

Castro expressed "our total solidarity" for both Matos and his coach Leudis Gonzalez.

...

Castro said the alleged bribery attempt gave Matos good reason to expect the judges to treat him unfairly.

"They had tried to buy his own coach," Castro wrote in his essay published in state media. "He could not contain himself."

...

"I saw when the judges blatantly stole fights from two Cuban boxers in the semifinals," Castro wrote. "Our fighters ... had hopes of winning, despite the judges, but it was useless. They were condemned beforehand."

...

"Cuba has never bought an athlete or judge," Castro wrote, adding that Cubans need to begin preparing now for London in 2012. "There will be European chauvinism, judge corruption, buying of brawn and brains ... and a strong dose of racism," he predicted.

[natty bumppo 297]

Castro defends athlete who kicked judge in face

Fidel Castro on Monday defended the Cuban taekwondo athlete who kicked a referee in the face at the Beijing Olympics, saying Angel Matos was rightfully indignant over his disqualification from the bronze-medal match.

...

Castro expressed "our total solidarity" for both Matos and his coach Leudis Gonzalez.

...

Castro said the alleged bribery attempt gave Matos good reason to expect the judges to treat him unfairly.

"They had tried to buy his own coach," Castro wrote in his essay published in state media. "He could not contain himself."

...

"I saw when the judges blatantly stole fights from two Cuban boxers in the semifinals," Castro wrote. "Our fighters ... had hopes of winning, despite the judges, but it was useless. They were condemned beforehand."

...

"Cuba has never bought an athlete or judge," Castro wrote, adding that Cubans need to begin preparing now for London in 2012. "There will be European chauvinism, judge corruption, buying of brawn and brains ... and a strong dose of racism," he predicted.

he should have offered the judges more money ....

[Scott & Lai 12]

Castro defends athlete who kicked judge in face

Fidel Castro on Monday defended the Cuban taekwondo athlete who kicked a referee in the face at the Beijing Olympics, saying Angel Matos was rightfully indignant over his disqualification from the bronze-medal match.

...

Castro expressed "our total solidarity" for both Matos and his coach Leudis Gonzalez.

...

Castro said the alleged bribery attempt gave Matos good reason to expect the judges to treat him unfairly.

"They had tried to buy his own coach," Castro wrote in his essay published in state media. "He could not contain himself."

...

"I saw when the judges blatantly stole fights from two Cuban boxers in the semifinals," Castro wrote. "Our fighters ... had hopes of winning, despite the judges, but it was useless. They were condemned beforehand."

...

"Cuba has never bought an athlete or judge," Castro wrote, adding that Cubans need to begin preparing now for London in 2012. "There will be European chauvinism, judge corruption, buying of brawn and brains ... and a strong dose of racism," he predicted.

Isn't he dead?

[Ban Hammer 13,332]

he should have offered the judges more money ....

cuban cigars for life

[almaty 19]

Castro defends athlete who kicked judge in face

Fidel Castro on Monday defended the Cuban taekwondo athlete who kicked a referee in the face at the Beijing Olympics, saying Angel Matos was rightfully indignant over his disqualification from the bronze-medal match.

...

Castro expressed "our total solidarity" for both Matos and his coach Leudis Gonzalez.

...

Castro said the alleged bribery attempt gave Matos good reason to expect the judges to treat him unfairly.

"They had tried to buy his own coach," Castro wrote in his essay published in state media. "He could not contain himself."

...

"I saw when the judges blatantly stole fights from two Cuban boxers in the semifinals," Castro wrote. "Our fighters ... had hopes of winning, despite the judges, but it was useless. They were condemned beforehand."

...

"Cuba has never bought an athlete or judge," Castro wrote, adding that Cubans need to begin preparing now for London in 2012. "There will be European chauvinism, judge corruption, buying of brawn and brains ... and a strong dose of racism," he predicted.

he should have offered the judges more money ....

and not just cigars and sugar

[Teacher Mark 53]

Isn't he dead?

Someone forgot to tell him.