After losing his temper, Cuban Angel Valodia Matos was banned for life.
BEIJING (Reuters) - Cuba’s Angel Valodia Matos was banned for life from taekwondo on Saturday for kicking a referee and a Chinese favorite was knocked out in a controversial ruling as the final bouts of the Olympic tournament descended into chaos.
The confusion overshadowed victory for Cha Dong-min, who took South Korea’s fourth taekwondo gold medal at the Beijing Games in the men’s +80-kg category, and Mexico’s Maria Espinoza, who won gold in the women’s +67-kg.
Leading 3-2 in the men’s +80-kg bronze-medal bout against Kazakhstan’s Arman Chilmanov, Matos slumped to the floor rubbing his leg and was disqualified for exceeding a minute’s injury time, prompting the Cuban’s coach to rush onto the mat.
After a heated exchange, Matos struck the referee in the head with a high kick. He also kicked another official before being escorted out of the arena.
A tournament official announced the life ban for Matos and his coach over a loudspeaker a few minutes later.
I completely agree with the ban for assault, but how sad that after making it to the Olympics, Matos will never compete again!!!
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