Taekwondo: Pakistan ‘stripped’ of medal despite knockout
Asian Taekwondo Championship sees controversy in 62-kg event.
KARACHI:
The Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) will lodge a complaint with the Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU) against the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation after the hosts stripped Shah Adil of a bronze in the 20th Asian Championship, according to the PTF chief.
Adil, according to the PTF President Iftikhar Ahmad Tabassum, won bronze after his opponent was knocked out but the organisers took the medal back citing a miscalculation of points.
“The Vietnamese have cheated and they humiliated our athlete,” Tabassum told The Express Tribune. “He was a clear winner. Half an hour later, the officials called him and told him that the result had been changed. They told Adil that they miscalculated the points and the knockout was not taken into the consideration.”
The PTF has sent a six-member team to Vietnam but, apart from Adil, all others crashed out in the preliminary stages.
“I’m going to protest against this. We’ve tried to reach to the president and the secretary of the ATU but they were unavailable. However, we’ve written a letter to them.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2012.
The Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) will lodge a complaint with the Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU) against the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation after the hosts stripped Shah Adil of a bronze in the 20th Asian Championship, according to the PTF chief.
Adil, according to the PTF President Iftikhar Ahmad Tabassum, won bronze after his opponent was knocked out but the organisers took the medal back citing a miscalculation of points.
“The Vietnamese have cheated and they humiliated our athlete,” Tabassum told The Express Tribune. “He was a clear winner. Half an hour later, the officials called him and told him that the result had been changed. They told Adil that they miscalculated the points and the knockout was not taken into the consideration.”
The PTF has sent a six-member team to Vietnam but, apart from Adil, all others crashed out in the preliminary stages.
“I’m going to protest against this. We’ve tried to reach to the president and the secretary of the ATU but they were unavailable. However, we’ve written a letter to them.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2012.