Partial Refereeing Cost Us the Medal and Changed Its Color: Gevorg Aleksanyan

The head coach of Armenia's Greco-Roman wrestling team, Gevorg Aleksanyan, has expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of referees judging the matches of Armenian athletes at the Olympic Games. In an interview with Armenian journalists in Tokyo, Aleksanyan particularly emphasized, “Several members of the Greco-Roman wrestling team, three to be exact, were deprived of medals and had the color of their medals changed due to biased refereeing. Three athletes from our team were ready to win medals. They shattered our team. I cannot say that this is just my opinion, but I will discuss it later. I am very upset.”

During the awarding ceremony for the winners in the 97 kg weight category of Greco-Roman wrestling at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Artur Aleksanyan did not hang the Olympic medal around his neck. According to Russian media reports, he later stated in a mixed zone that one has to be Russian to win.