Armenia’s Artur Aleksanyan: I am very disappointed by injustices but I will still stay in wrestling

The Wrestling Federation of Armenia has appealed the gold medal match of Greco-Roman wrestler Artur Aleksanyan (98kg) at the Summer Olympics in Paris, reports the website of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia.

In the final of the Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling 97kg category at the Paris Olympics, Armenia’s Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medalist, four-time world and seven-time European champion Artur Aleksanyan had faced Olympic bronze medalist, world and Asian champion, and Asian Games winner Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran), and lost 1-4, winning the silver medal.

Aleksanyan expresses hope that justice will be restored.

"I came here for a gold medal, but you all saw what happened during my wrestling match. In one incident, the Iranian wrestler had gone completely outside our wrestling area with both feet, and I told the coaches to challenge. In that case, they should have given me one point, but instead they gave the Iranian wrestler two points, and another point for the challenge. I'm sure one point in that incident should have been mine. There was no tension as this was my third final and my fourth Olympic games. It's just that in such tournaments, especially in the final, even minor details can solve serious issues," says Aleksanyan.

However, he insists he will continue his professional wrestling career, although the refereeing biases and injustices are disappointing.

"Yes, I am very disappointed by these injustices, but I will still stay in wrestling. Moreover, biases were not only in my case. [Armenia’s 67kg category Greco-Roman wrestler] Slavik Galstyan had a clean victory, the referee recorded the victory, and he could have gone to the final, securing at least a silver medal, but today Slavik was left without a medal, as for some reason the result of the wrestling match was changed. The same was the case with [Armenia’s 57kg category Freestyle wrestler] Arsen Harutyunyan today. It is the feeling that there was tension against our national team. I know there was an appeal. I hope justice will be restored," Aleksanyan said.

Karen Giloyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia, who is following the Olympic Games in Paris, noted that the Armenian government will join this appeal process.

"We are waiting for the written response, which will be attached to the appeal of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia and will be sent to the relevant instance. I assure that we will try to restore justice," Giloyan said.

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