Angry wrestler stripped of bronze medal wrestler, stripped, bronze, medal, Angry

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http://www.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/08/16/olympics.round-up/index.html

(CNN) -- Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian, who discarded his bronze medal in a protest during the presentation ceremony, has been stripped of the award and disqualified from the tournament in Beijing.


A disgruntled Abrahamian drops his bronze medal before leaving the arena during the presentation ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee said Abrahamian violated two rules of the Olympic charter, one which bans any sort of demonstrations and another which demands respect for all Olympic athletes.

"The awards ceremony is a highly symbolic ritual, acknowledged as such by all athletes and other participants," the IOC said.

"Any disruption by any athlete, in particular a medalist, is in itself an insult to the other athletes and to the Olympic Movement. It is also contrary to the spirit of fair play."

Abrahamian never expressed regret or offered an apology, the IOC said. The international weightlifting federation was asked to consider further sanctions against him.

His medal was the third stripped at the Beijing Games so far.

On Friday, North Korean shooter Kim Jong Su had his silver and bronze medals taken away after failing a doping test. Also expelled for doping violations have been Spanish cyclist Maria Isabel Moreno and Vietnamese gymnast Thi Ngan Thuong Do.

Abrahamian's case is not the first of its kind.