Armenian wrestling coach renounces UWW referee title in protest of unfair treatment at Tokyo 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. The coach of the Armenian Greco-Roman wrestling team Gevorg Aleksanyan is renouncing his United World Wrestling(UWW) international referee title as a sign of protest over unfair refereeing against Armenian wrestlers during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“I am rejecting the international referee title and I refuse to continue the path with that kind of referee leadership,” he said.

“This is my decision, I haven’t discussed it with the federation, the national Olympic committee or the ministry,” he said at a news conference.

He added that they plan to apply to an international court for sport over the issue.

Aleksanyan was granted the title in 1999.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan