The Wrestling Federation of Armenia has appealed the decision of the judges at the final of the 2024 Olympic Games in Greco-Roman wrestling in the under 97 kg weight category.
In the final, Artur Aleksanyan lost to Iranian Mohammad Hadi Saravi with a score of 1-4 and became the silver medalist of the 2024 Olympic Games.
With the score at 1-3 in favor of the Iranian, Aleksanyan's coaches challenged, but the judges did not see the violation and added another point to the Iranian, resulting in Saravi's victory.
Artur Aleksanyan, an Olympic champion, silver and bronze medalist, four-time world champion, and seven-time European champion, expressed hope for the restoration of justice:
"I came here for the gold medal, but you all saw what happened during my match. In one episode, the Iranian wrestler completely stepped out of our wrestling zone with both feet, and I asked my coaches to file a protest. In that case, I should have been awarded one point, but instead, two points were awarded to the Iranian wrestler, plus one more for the protest. I am sure that in that episode, one point should have been mine. There was no tension, as this is my third final and fourth Olympic Games. It's just that in such tournaments, especially in the finals, even small nuances can decide serious matters," said Artur Aleksanyan.
Nevertheless, Artur Aleksanyan emphasizes that he will continue his sports career despite the bias of the judges and injustice: "Yes, I am very disappointed with these injustices, but I will still remain in wrestling. In fact, the bias was not only in my case. Slavik Galstyan achieved a clear victory, the judge recorded the victory, and he could have reached the final, securing at least a silver medal, but today Slavik was left without a medal because for some reason the result of the match was changed. The same happened today in the case of Arsen Harutyunyan. It seems there was tension against our team. I know that an appeal has been filed. I hope justice will be restored," said Aleksanyan.
Karen Giloyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia, who watched the Olympic Games in Paris, noted that the government will also join the appeal process.
"We are waiting for a written response, which will be attached to the appeal of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia and sent to the relevant authorities. I assure you, we will try to restore justice," said Karen Giloyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Armenia.
The tournament at the Olympic Games for Armenia is still ongoing. There are still performances ahead for three more weightlifters and freestyle wrestler Vazgen Tevanyan.