Getty Image
Frank Chamizo is a two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist, and he figured to a favorite to medal against at 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
But Chamizo won’t get the chance.
The Italian (via Cuba) lost a match that would have sent him to Azerbaijani wrestler Turan Bayramov in controversial fashion, and he has reason to believe there was foul play involved.
“I knew that I had to give double, triple in Azerbaijan because I was fighting in their country and they had bought everyone,” Chamizo said in remarks to Italian newspaper La Repubblica. “I did it, but then something happened that has echoes of wrestling many years ago.
“So I want to say it: They came to me and offered me $300,000 to lose. I don’t want to say who, but it happened on the morning of the weigh-in.”
Chamizo lost the match on tiebreaker criteria after the score finished 8-8. He appeared to have a match-winning takedown with .6 of a second remaining, the officials overturned the call upon review.
Slow-mo replay appeared to show Chamizo clearly completing the takedown in time. But even before that point the officiating was dubious.
Chamizo fell behind 6-0 early in the match on a move that should have been awarded four points. Then Bayramov evaded his opponent without being warned for passivity for the next five minutes.
Chamizo also appeared to complete two takedowns that were not awarded points because…reasons?
“I want to apologize to those who are looking at this, my sport is beautiful. This is just a group of bribed and corrupt people. How sad. My heart is crying,” Chamizo said in an Instagram post showing the video.
United World Wrestling, which ran the qualifying event, has an extensive history of corruption. This certainly won’t help change that perception anytime soon.