After match causes riot, Wrestling Champion Gives up Olympic Place After Brawl

[TomM]

Riot police interfere to pull apart fighting athletes at Russian Wrestling Championship
http://www.pravdareport.com/news/society/stories/27-05-2016/134548-russian_wrestling-0/

A two-time wrestling world champion said Tuesday he is giving up his place at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after a brawl marred a Russian qualifying tournament.

Viktor Lebedev was competing against Ismail Musukayev in a semifinal bout at the Russian nationals on Friday when Musukayev was angered by refereeing calls against him and shoved Lebedev.

Musukayev's supporters and coaches charged into the ring, prompting a scuffle that was broken up by riot police. Wrestlers from Musukayev's home region of Dagestan then boycotted the tournament in protest at the standard of refereeing, causing a nationwide scandal.

Lebedev told local news outlet News.Ykt on Tuesday that he is withdrawing from the Olympic team as "a matter of honor" because he feels officials gave him favorable calls in front of his home crowd in the Siberian city of Yakutsk.

"Let's say I win Olympic gold. I don't doubt that I could win it," he said. "Even if I were to climb onto that podium with the gold, I wouldn't have those emotions. I wouldn't be especially happy that my dream had come true."

Lebedev said Musukayev had been wronged but insisted his opponent had been wrong to start the brawl. "You can't behave that way regardless of how the judging goes for you," he said.

Lebedev can be replaced on the team by another Russian in the 57-kilogram class, though he was the favorite to go to the Rio Olympics after winning world championship bronze and European Games gold last year.

Wrestling is traditionally a source of great pride for many of Russia's ethnic minority groups, including in Lebedev's Arctic home region of Yakutia and in Dagestan, a province in Russia's volatile North Caucasus otherwise known for its Islamist insurgency.

Competition for a place on the Russian national team, one of the world's best, is fierce and in recent years various domestic competitions have been marred by brawls between fans from different regions and ethnic groups.

Earlier this month, a wrestler from Chechnya hit his opponent after the end of the bout and some of his team, including a man with a pistol, rushed into the ring in support.

[bigG]

Dem Russkies are intense.

[imnofish]

Did either of them bump the ref or kick dirt on his shoes?  No bench-clearing team brawl?   

[TomM]

Wrestling Champion Gives up Olympic Place After Brawl
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MOSCOW — May 31, 2016, 8:40 AM ET

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/wrestling-champion-olympic-place-brawl-39498393

A two-time wrestling world champion said Tuesday he is giving up his place at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after a brawl marred a Russian qualifying tournament.

Viktor Lebedev was competing against Ismail Musukayev in a semifinal bout at the Russian nationals on Friday when Musukayev was angered by refereeing calls against him and shoved Lebedev.

Musukayev's supporters and coaches charged into the ring, prompting a scuffle that was broken up by riot police. Wrestlers from Musukayev's home region of Dagestan then boycotted the tournament in protest at the standard of refereeing, causing a nationwide scandal.

Lebedev told local news outlet News.Ykt on Tuesday that he is withdrawing from the Olympic team as "a matter of honor" because he feels officials gave him favorable calls in front of his home crowd in the Siberian city of Yakutsk.

"Let's say I win Olympic gold. I don't doubt that I could win it," he said. "Even if I were to climb onto that podium with the gold, I wouldn't have those emotions. I wouldn't be especially happy that my dream had come true."

Lebedev said Musukayev had been wronged but insisted his opponent had been wrong to start the brawl. "You can't behave that way regardless of how the judging goes for you," he said.

Lebedev can be replaced on the team by another Russian in the 57-kilogram class, though he was the favorite to go to the Rio Olympics after winning world championship bronze and European Games gold last year.

Wrestling is traditionally a source of great pride for many of Russia's ethnic minority groups, including in Lebedev's Arctic home region of Yakutia and in Dagestan, a province in Russia's volatile North Caucasus otherwise known for its Islamist insurgency.

Competition for a place on the Russian national team, one of the world's best, is fierce and in recent years various domestic competitions have been marred by brawls between fans from different regions and ethnic groups.

Earlier this month, a wrestler from Chechnya hit his opponent after the end of the bout and some of his team, including a man with a pistol, rushed into the ring in support.

[TomM]

Victor Lebedev Declines Olympic Spot
FloWrestling

http://www.flowrestling.org/article/42279-victor-lebedev-declines-olympic-spot

[imnofish]

Wow!     Viktor Lebedev is obviously a man of great integrity!   

[bigG]

Holy guts. That's a man, there. I'm guessing they grow 'em tough in Siberia. Brought the best out of Rocky.

[MarkK]

That is pretty incredible.  I've seen this happen before in more subtle ways.   A slammed wrestler chooses to wrestle on instead of taking the win.

[Ghetto]

It was rumored before the trials that Ledbedev's spot was already bought and paid for. If you watch the matches, the officiating was unreal, even by Russian standards. Obvious pushouts being missed, phantom takedowns, along with a guy being called for passivity with 10 seconds left to lose made that weight an absolute joke.

The one region pulled out altogether of that weight, and maybe others. Their protest must have done something.

I don't know if Ledbedev fell on his sword or the federation told him to step down.