Cuban Taekwondo Athlete Banned
August 23, 2008: Angel Matos was banned for life from the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) after kicking a referee in the face at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.1
Fast Facts
- Matos was disqualified for taking too much injury time1
- While arguing with the ref, Matos kicked him in the head
- Banned for life from all WTF events1
- Matos' coach, Leudis Gonzalez, was also banned when he refused to apologize2
- Incident occurred during the bronze medal fight
- Matos was representing Cuba in the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Opponent: Arman Chilmanov of Kazakhstan
- Athletes are allowed one minute of injury time3
Cuban Taekwondo Athlete Banned Quotes
"It was an insult to the Olympic vision, to the spirit of taekwondo and for me, an insult to mankind."—Jin Suk Yang, general secretary of the WTF1
"He was too strict."—Matos' coach Leudis Gonzalez on the disqualification ruling2
"To me it was obvious he was unable to continue. His toe on his left foot was broken."—Arman Chilmanov2
Related Pages on Mahalo
Angel Matos | Olympics | Summer Olympics | 2008 Olympics | Beijing | China | Genocide Olympics
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