Armenia’s Artur Aleksanyan awarded Olympic silver medal but takes it off immediately
Men’s Greco-Roman Wrestling 97kg weight class award ceremony was held at the Paris Olympic Games.
Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medalist Artur Aleksanyan of Armenia was awarded his fourth Olympic silver medal.
The President of United World Wrestling, Nenad Lalovic, awarded Aleksanyan and put the silver medal around his neck. After being awarded, however, Aleksanyan removed the silver medal. After awarding the gold medalist, Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran), Lalovic approached Aleksanyan and asked why he took the medal off. Aleksanyan said something in response, pointing his hand towards the wrestling mat. Artur Aleksanyan kept the silver medal in his hand until the end of the award ceremony.
And at the end, when everyone had to take a group photo, Aleksanyan got down from the podium and approached Lalovic.
Armenia’s Olympic champion had lost 1-4 to Iran’s Mohammadhadi Saravi in the final of the Men’s Greco-Roman Wrestling 97kg category at the Paris Olympics. In the match, Saravi had pushed Aleksanyan with his foot—which is not allowed in Greco-Roman wrestling — and performed a two-point move. Artur had requested a challenge, but the referees had deemed the challenge unsuccessful.
At the award ceremony, Artur Aleksanyan removed the silver medal from his neck and showed that he does not agree with the aforesaid decision of the referees and his defeat.
