Cuban Taekwondo Athlete Kicks Ref, Faces Lifetime Ban - With Video

Angel Matos of Cuba lands a kick on referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden after being disqualified in his bronze medal contest in the men’s 80-kilogram taekwondo competition Saturday.
And He Will Be Hailed As A Hero Upon Return To Castro’s ParadiseI don’t suppose the ‘pampered class’ of the favored of a socialist/communist society had anything to do with this grandiose show of ‘entitlement’ ?
Nah …
Taekwondo athlete Angel Matos of Cuba faces a lifetime ban after kicking the referee in the face following his disqualification in a bronze-medal match Saturday at the Beijing Games.
Matos’s coach Leudis Gonzalez also faces a lifetime ban in response to the incident that took place at the end of the men’s over-80 kg bout.
“We didn’t expect anything like what you have witnessed to occur,” said World Taekwondo Federation secretary general Yang Jin-suk. “I am at a loss for words.”
Although the arena announcer said Matos and his coach were banned effective immediately, Yang said due process must be followed before officially banning the two.
A gold medallist at the 2000 Sydney Games, Matos was winning the match 3-2 against Kazakhstan’s Arman Chilmanov with 1:02 in the second round when he fell to the mat after being hit.
Fighters get one minute to receive medical attention, but Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.
After angrily questioning the decision, the Cuban pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden.
Matos then spat on the floor before being escorted out.
“He was too strict,” Gonzalez said of the decision to disqualify Matos.
Gonzalez also alleged the match was fixed and accused the Kazakhstanis of offering him money.
In the gold-medal match, Cha Dong-min of South Korea defeated European champion Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece 5-4.
Nigeria’s Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije won the other bronze medal, defeating Akmal Irgashev of Uzbekistan.
Two bronze medals are awarded in taekwondo at the Olympics.
(h/t Babalu)



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he should be arrested for assault! that should do it for taekwondo as an olympic sport! we shouldnt allow commies in the games to begin with!
August 24th, 2008 at 3:38 pmAnd he said he had a broken toe just before doing that.
August 24th, 2008 at 4:32 pmSame as a Sunday punch: COWARDLY
August 24th, 2008 at 5:25 pmwhat a piece of shit. commie fucker
August 24th, 2008 at 5:32 pmCommie Cubans suck.
August 24th, 2008 at 5:42 pmI’d sure love for us to invade Cuba and make it State # 51 (#58, if you’re using Obamath)
August 24th, 2008 at 5:57 pmHUH…what did he say???
August 24th, 2008 at 7:11 pmsore loser
August 24th, 2008 at 7:29 pmI got into the upper belts in Tae Kwon Do before blowing a knee out and quitting 6 months shy of testing for my Black Belt. I remember that the discipline and respect of the art were hammered into us….constantly….and you couldn’t receive your Black without being a practitioner of that discipline and respect.
Is that part of the art even being taught anymore? or is it just about being able to kick someone’s ass?
That’s why I don’t consider the so-called “mixed martial art” of ultimate fighting a sport.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:57 pmCommunists, including American Democrats, always get petulant when they can’t prevail in tantrums. No surprise here. We see it over and over again.
August 24th, 2008 at 8:51 pmRight high block, reverse palm hand to the nuts….game over.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:45 amI saw this when it happened and couldn’t believe it. That guy should be banned for life from competing in the sport. No great loss.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:13 am