Ganzorig was up against Ikhtiyor Navruzov of Uzbekistan for the bronze medal, and the 8-7 decision not in their favour didn’t go to well with the Mongolian camp.
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Tying to match gave Navruzov on tie-breaking criteria, since he scored the last point of the match.
Mandakhnaran, who had already started celebrating, fell to his knees in disappointment.
The Mongolian coaches challenged the ruling at the end of the match, and when the decision wasn’t changed, one stripped off his jacket and shirt, throwing them emphatically into the mat.
Tsenrenbataar Tsostbayar stripped all the way down to his blue briefs. Both the coaches stood shirtless in front of a chanting crowd at Carioca Arena 2. As they were protesting, they began to strip down to their underwear and slam their clothes on the mat.
One of the coaches, Byambarenchin Bayaraa, told ESPN.com’s Wayne Drehs: “This was a protest”. That penalty point cost him the match and the medal. This is the only time in history of wrestling with a point penalty.
“The referees are no good”, Bayaraa told USA TODAY. They only supported the Uzbek. Navruzov was in command of the match and to ensure victory, many believed he was wrestling in a style that was unsportsmanlike for the Olympics but would lock up a bronze medal.
“All of the stadium was behind us”, Bayoraa added.
The Rio games, officially the Olympics of Undress, began with a shirtless Tongan flag-bearer two weeks ago and ended on Sunday with a pair of angry naked Mongolian wrestling coaches. I think the situation is much better than we had before.
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Safe bet the marketing arm of the International Olympic Committee won’t be replaying this one on the highlight reel.
