Sports | August 14, 2008 | 52 comments

Angry Swede throws down medal, quits on Olympic award stand

source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=reu-wrestling&prov=reuters&type=lgns

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Pericles_Lewnes
Greco Roman Wrestlers are not to be trifled with. This is the pinnacle of unsportsmanlike conduct, but I know Olympic wrestlers and the judging can be corrupt.

Also, Olympic wrestlers work their entire lives to get to the games, since the sport is so hard on the body (especially Greco) you do not see many wrestlers repeat their appearance.

But this is unimaginable.
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52 comments // Angry Swede throws down medal, quits on Olympic award stand

  • MrButterCuts
  • xrista
    • 0
      xrista  

    • Corruption is a terrible insult. It goes far beyond the individual athlete. Its hard to swallow and difficult to tolerate within competitive sports. There should be better checks and balances within every judging committee. Until something changes the judging process athletes will continue to suffer. Since the Swede protested millions of people are talking. So whats the real story, bad sportsmanship or corrupt judging?

    • 3 years ago
  • Bill_Borrelli
  • A_H_Jones
    • 0
      A_H_Jones  

    • You would think countries would pick their most honorable athletes...I wonder how John McEnroe would've fared in the Olympics...

    • 3 years ago
  • Brendan_M
    • Brendan_M  
    • This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
  • gormlesstwat
  • keeshii768
  • EddieStarr
    • 0
      EddieStarr  

    • Such a terrible temper for the Swede to throw down his medal. Bad timing too, with all the media and photographers right there to catch him having his moment, to share with all the social media outlets.
      He may be forever known as The Panz-Swede

    • 3 years ago
  • ace_ofgabriel
  • rachelmaechel
    • 0
      rachelmaechel  

    • I don't understand?? I read the story. Can somebody explain if there's more.

      How is that behavior okay with people? He was pissed that he didn't win the gold. fine.
      But maybe he didn't deserve it. And if he truly felt that his performance was of gold medal status then he should still have been happy- knowing in his own heart and mind that he had won.
      And everyone else who saw the matches can do the same

      At the very least he should have acted like an adult and just sucked up the anger he (clearly) was feeling. Rather than stomping off like a 5 year old kid. Shame on him. That's just disrespectful on so many levels-
      to the sport, to the other medal winners, to the fans....
      shame on him!

      Somebody should tell him:
      'your best just wasn't good enough. so TOO BAD
      ah ha haha ha!!!!!!'

      just kidding.

    • 3 years ago
  • kewal91
    • 0
      kewal91  

    • if that was me. .. . i would have thrown a childish tantrum but never actually throw it.. and i would have tried to make it funny and made sure every1 thought i was just kidding around.......

    • 3 years ago
  • curiousG
    • 0
      curiousG  

    • i agree with this man ... they've had some point problems with all they're physical contact sport, esp. boxing. i dont even watch that sport anymore because it's mind boggling on how they come up with the scoring

    • 3 years ago
  • dabne
    • 0
      dabne  

    • I'm glad he lost, because he just proved that he did not respect his opponents. He took away their one shining moment on the medal stand and put the spotlight on himself. He could have made his point later and not at the expense of the Gold and Silver medalist. What a loser.

    • 3 years ago
  • laveyN
  • laveyN
    • 0
      laveyN  

    • I like that he took the medal respectfully and actually waited for it to be put on him, he was doing it to prove a point, and reading the story behind it makes it seem a little better. But still, it sucks to see the poor sportsmanship

    • 3 years ago
  • exene
  • TVTantrums
  • eldamon
  • Bahlkris
  • 1percent
    • 0
      1percent  

    • Ride on!

      Good deal!

      They're right. Too much politics in a venue that is supposed to be devoid of such.

      Stand up and say what you need...

      It's your right!

      Ride on!

    • 3 years ago
  • Bill_Borrelli
    • 0
      Bill_Borrelli  

    • While I didn't see that match, that doesn't look good on his part. Ok, so maybe the Olympic committee is corrupt, I don't know. But to show them up like that is very unprofessional, and unsportsmanlike. Maybe hold a press conference like most athletes do in the U.S. If a prize fighter loses, he still might speak to the press afterwards and protest the judgement. Not to mention...he's on a worldwide stage. HE represents a country! Is that how we want to remember Sweden? The Olympics will continue on with or without him.

    • 3 years ago
  • mjsmith11
    • 0
      mjsmith11  

    • I think he did the right thing. This is his life and he has to live with himself. Unlike China;s Government, I believe in free speech. The unsportsmanlike conduct in this story are the Olympic Judges. We all saw this bias judging in Salt Lake City too.

    • 3 years ago
  • mario_a
  • mario_a
    • 0
      mario_a  

    • Wow...OK, if he had thrown down his bronze in protest of China, etc. then it would be different, but complaining "I wanted gold!" seems very difficult to defend.

    • 3 years ago
  • damnneargenius
  • AxeRFJ
  • SDLN
  • cley
  • AreOh
  • clayjj05
  • J_Jammer
  • AreOh
    • 0
      AreOh  
    • AreOh:

      Ha, well, as an expert in throwing tantrums, I guess your point does have merit. Seriously though, JJ. I'm not sure if you can really comprehend the sacrifices an Olympic level athlete makes in life to compete, but rest assured, it is far from easy. To have that work, blood, effort and permanent damage to your body besmirched by a very suspicious ruling, well, I think we can all give this fellow a pass. He may not have reacted very well, but in context of the situation, I, for one, completely understand.

    • 3 years ago
  • dabne
    • 0
      dabne  
    • AreOh:

      You understand what? How he took the once in a lifetime moment of the Gold and Silver medalists and put the spotlight on himself by disrespecting the other two athletes who had worked every bit as hard as himself? What a loser. He chose to compete in sport based on judging. This comes as a surprise to him that humans are imperfect? This man has no respect for his opponents.

    • 3 years ago
  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  
    • AreOh:

      I agree about the lack of respect for everyone else's "moment"...he stole from that. He might have had good reason to not be happy, but not good reason to steal a moment of happy from others.

      There are places to do that.

      When one of the Hamm (sp?) twins won the All Around Gymnastics four years ago it was a scoring error and the Chinese Gymnast most likely knew that and was upset but he didn't throw a tantrum---they had a committee meeting to discuss what had happened and asked if he would give the medal back and Hamm said no...as well he should have.

    • 3 years ago
  • AreOh
    • 0
      AreOh  
    • AreOh:

      I don't particularly disagree with anything your saying, JJ. He reacted poorly. Sure. But I'm not going to over-react and say he's a loser, which his record shows he is not, or he disrespected the Games, which I don't think he did. Over the top? Sure. Totally uncalled for? No, I don't think it was. Perhaps it is the (former) athlete in me, I understand completely why he did what he did. It's Sport. You get emotional. It happens. He and the Olympics will be just fine.

    • 3 years ago
  • Audiogeek
  • malathion
    • 0
      malathion  

    • well , he just let it drop . he didn't jump up and down on it . not really a temper tantrum . civilized protest i'd say . and he even waved goodbye .

    • 3 years ago
  • bigloutech
  • vixen0078
  • Pattyhax
    • 0
      Pattyhax  

    • If you had worked your entire life to compete at this level and suddenly your dreams were crushed by questionable judging you'd certainly be pissed off as well. I'm not condoning his behavior and the blatant disregard for sportsmanship, but I can see where he's coming from.

    • 3 years ago
  • cocheezy
  • cali_is_gorgeous
    • 0
      cali_is_gorgeous  

    • it's one thing to not believe its fair its something else entirely to be an ass to all the other athletes. how many other athletes would have traded places for just the chance to go to the olympics. get over it!

    • 3 years ago
  • tubman15
  • Jenkins
  • elspeth
  • menmykoko
    • 0
      menmykoko  

    • I think the whole olympic thing is just a joke anymore and not inspiring one bit. It has become corrupt and a moneymaking vehicle for both the athletes and the sponsors and the host.

    • 3 years ago
  • Karagath
    • 0
      Karagath  

    • Completely justified action, the judges where without doubt payed. The gold was easily his, the shame goes to the wrestling judges and officials. A sport so corrupt has no place in the olympics.

    • 3 years ago
  • Jenkins
    • 0
      Jenkins  
    • Karagath:

      I agree with this comment. He worked his whole life and anything other than gold would have been and was a failure to him. To have someone else unfairly handed his gold after all that training, completely justified. Not to mention it was his last match of his career.

    • 3 years ago
  • joshzimmerman
  • Vierotchka
  • mjsmith11
  • Vierotchka
  • parisinla
  • Pericles_Lewnes
  • brad62
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