Steph: Mongolian Coaches Protest Their Olympic Wrestler’s Gut-Wrenching Loss by…Stripping Off Their Clothes

Monday, August 22, 2016

Mongolian Coaches Protest Their Olympic Wrestler’s Gut-Wrenching Loss by…Stripping Off Their Clothes

Somewhere out there, disgraced Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte just might be breathing a sigh of relief.

After fabricating an armed robbery story in Rio that led to confiscated passports and embarrassing inquiries by peeved Brazilian authorities, Lochte may have a little breathing room since welcoming a couple of new faces into the Games Hall of Shame.

At the end of Sunday’s bronze medal wrestling match between Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzorig and Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Navruzov, the Mongolian was ahead 7-6 with only seconds remaining.

Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzorig, right, and Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Navruzov compete during the men’s 65-kg freestyle bronze medal wrestling match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

But then he began celebrating and backing away from his opponent. Oops.

So the ref gave Navruzov a penalty point as time expired, tying up the match. And since Navruzov held a tiebreaker advantage, Yahoo Sports reported, Ganzorig in an instant went from almost certain victory to crushing defeat — and no medal.

Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzorig reacts after a loss to Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Navruzov during the men’s 65-kg freestyle bronze medal wrestling match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Then in a bizarre display that echoed a WWE match rather than the hallowed sportsmanship of the Olympics, Ganzorig’s coaches Tserenbaatar Tsogtbayar and Byambarenchin Bayaraa angrily protested the decision — by disrobing and slamming their clothes to the mat.

Coaches for Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzori, at right, strip in protest after a loss to Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Navruzov during the men’s 65-kg freestyle bronze medal wrestling match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

They relieved themselves pretty much of all garments.

But fortunately their underwear stayed on.

The crowd apparently loved it, responding with deafening hoots and hollers — including a chant of “Mongolia! Mongolia!” — before the pair were escorted from the area by security.

A coach of Mongolia’s wrestler Mandakhnaran Ganzorig, faces the red card from a referee, as takes off his clothes in protest against the decision of the jury to award the bronze medal to Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Navruzov during the men’s 65-kg freestyle wrestling competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Coaches for Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzorig strip in protest after a loss to Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Navruzov during the men’s 65-kg freestyle bronze medal wrestling match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Safe bet the marketing arm of the International Olympic Committee won’t be replaying this one on the highlight reel.

But you just might:

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
This story has been updated.

Steph

Monday, August 22, 2016

Mongolian Coaches Protest Their Olympic Wrestler’s Gut-Wrenching Loss by…Stripping Off Their Clothes

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