YEREVAN (Armenpress)— Armenian silver medalist Olympian, Migran Arutyunyan, relayed to the organizers of the 2016 Rio Olympics that there was a “serious injustice” committed against himself during the final round of the 66-kg Greco-Roman wrestling match, according to a post on Arutyunyan’s official “VK” social media page.

 

Arutyunyan, 27, competed against Serbian wrestler Davor Stefanek in the finals on Tuesday, receiving Armenia’s second silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. The bout ended in a draw, but Stefanek secured the gold medal on the criteria that he was the last one to be awarded a point.

“I don’t know what to start with but first of all I would like to thank those who did not avoid expressing opinions over my wrestle in the finals of Rio 2016. I am thankful for your enormous support. I feel huge support by my nation as well. Any professional sportsman dreams of appearing on the Olympic podium and listen to the national anthem of his country and I am not an exception.

I have been striving for the Olympic peak during my whole life. I have dreamt of an opportunity to struggle for a gold medal in Olympic Games and that long-awaited time finally arrived. I encountered numerous injustices on my way to Rio, but I had patience and did not react to them since I was looking forward to “Rio-2016.” And this time again a miracle did not happen. I was again deprived of the gold medal. That act depressed me and that’s why I was unable to pacify myself.

Will the world of sport keep a blind eye on this crime? Not only me, but many other were deprived of medals. I was deprived of the title of an Olympic Champion as Serbia or maybe other countries have a decisive voice in the sphere of wrestling. But I am proud to be an Armenian.

We are a small but a great nation at the same time. I would like to congratulate my friend, Artur Aleksanyan, for conquering a gold medal. He deserved that victory. I congratulate weightlifters Simon Martirosyan and Gor Minasyan for conquering silver medals.

I have no desire to offend the Serbian wrestler. He is not a bad wrestler and has a good defense. He will remember my name ever morning. Every time looking at the gold medal he will think that it belongs to me,” Arutyunyan wrote.