Abrahamian's appeal to Cas rejected

SWEDEN'S Ara Abrahamian has seen his appeal to win back his Olympic bronze medal dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

The 33-year-old 84kg Greco-Roman wrestler threw away his medal in disgust, vehemently protesting against a penalty decision, during the ceremony at the Beijing Olympics.

Abrahamian and coach Leo Myllari, who publicly accused the judges of corruption, both received two-year bans in November, with governing body Fila accusing the pair of ‘a serious lack of Olympic spirit'.

Given time to cool off, Abrahamian has since attempted to reclaim his medal but Cas said the original decision ‘was not disproportionate in the circumstances'.

The controversy began when Abrahamian was furious at a penalty call in his semi-final match against Italy's Andrea Minguzzi, who went on to win the gold medal.

Following the loss, the Swede had to be restrained by his team-mates and the International Olympic Committee stripped him of his medal and expelled him from the Games.

The Swede was not the only one to challenge the judges at the Beijing Olympics, with Britain's taekwondo star Sarah Stevenson forced to appeal against an incorrect decision.

But Abrahamian took his protestations too far accord to the IOC and Cas, and his IOC expulsion has been upheld.

"The Cas confirmed that the behaviour of the athlete was in breach of the Olympic Charter and of the IOC Protocol Guide," the statement added.

"Such behaviour was not justified, even though the athlete had the personal conviction that several sporting decisions related to his semi-final were not correct."