A Tale of Two Bronze Medals

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Objects have no intrinsic meaning attached to them, rather they are attributed meaning and value by individuals and cultures, by slow gradual process or by great sudden calamity. It is amazing how a single object can mean something wonderful to one person while another casts it away. What follows is the tale of two bronze medals, each tells a very different story despite being so similar.

Wrestling

Ara Abrahamian was born on the 27^th of July 1975 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, which was then part of the Soviet Union (now after extensive renaming the city is known as Gyumri, in the now independent Republic of Armenia). The country of Ara’s birth is a landlocked and mountainous country that is rich in rugged beauty (and lies between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea on the eastern border of Turkey). One of the symbols of Armenia is Mount Ararat, where it is said Noah’s Ark was trapped after the floods receded.

Abrahamian began his wrestling career at the tender age of eight and won the title of Armenian junior champion three times. In 1994 he journeyed to Stockholm, Sweden, to compete in the Stockholm Junior Open, which he then went on to win. Following this he left his own nation’s team to join the Swedish one.

In the course of his career representing Sweden, he has won 2 World Championships as well as a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Abrahamian gained widespread infamy at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, when (after the August 14th Men’s Greco Roman 84 kg semi-final against Italian wrestler, Andrea Minguzzi) he gracefully accepted his bronze medal only to walk away and throw it down. Suddenly this was the moment in the Olympics everyone was talking about.

It seems natural to assume the worst; bad loser throws down medal – but the truth becomes a much harder thread to follow. Could it be that the judges are corrupt, and Ara’s actions were carried out in the hope that the international community can be made aware of it?

During the match Minguzzi took a point in the first period of the bout. Abrahamian then took a point in the second bout, thus staying in for a third round which would be the decider. The mat chairman then conferred with the judges and referee to give Abrahamian a warning. This warning caused the point to be taken back off him and subsequently reassigned to his opponent costing him the match. Immediately the Swedish coach requested a video replay to see if the warning had been justified but this was denied. An appeal was filed to FILA (Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées) who refused to take it.

The IOC (International Olympic Committee) soon held a disciplinary hearing that disqualified Abrahamian and revoked his discarded bronze medal, for violating the Olympic spirit of fair play.

An inquiry conducted by CAS (The Court of Arbitration for Sport) was held at the request of the Swedish Olympic Committee. The report issued by CAS criticizes FILA for not providing any mechanism through which Ara’s claim could be promptly heard, as well as for awarding the point after the bout when Ara would be unable to take this into account in his sporting strategy (violating the Olympic ideals of fair play).

While the inquiry is a step in the right direction, nevertheless the bronze medal now lies in limbo. Abrahamian has retired from the sport in disgust, it can only be hoped that his actions prompt changes for the better.

Taekwondo

Rohullah Nikpai was born on the 15^th of June, 1987 in Afghanistan, where he began to practice Taekwondo at a young age. Fleeing the bloody conflict in the capital city, he and his family settled in an Iranian refugee camp. Even under the circumstances Nikpai continued to train and joined the refugee Taekwondo team. When his family returned to Kabul in 2004 his passion for the martial art remained firm. In 2006 he competed at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar and was knocked out in round sixteen by Thailand’s Nattapong Tewawetchapong.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics Nikpai was beaten in the quarterfinals by Guillermo Pérez of Mexico (who would go on to take gold). The main bracket was a single elimination tournament, determining gold and silver.

A repechage was subsequently held to determine the bronze medal winners. Each of the competitors who had lost to the finalists took part in this, and it took the format of another single-elimination competition. Each semifinalist faced the opponent in the opposite half of the bracket. In the repechage Nikpai defeated Michael Harvey of Great Britain and then Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain to take home Afghanistan’s first ever olympic medal.

In cafés throughout Afghanistan people broke out into smiles and congratulated each other as they proudly watched their hero receive his bronze medal. Sadly many were unable to watch the win first hand due to power outages, but the win brought smiles and joy to those who did. While Nikpai’s win dominated the news that evening president President Hamid Karzai called personally congratulate him.

“I hope this will send a message of peace to my country after 30 years of war,” Nikpai told the press after his win.

For his efforts on behalf of the nation, Nikpai has been awarded a house by the government and a $10,000 prize offered for the bronze Ehsanullah Bayat, chairman of the Afghan Wireless Communication Company.

In a country ravaged by war, where survival takes precedence over training and facilities are less than adequate the win sparks hope that this may change, and in future Afghan athletes might strive for gold.

The 21 year old returned home to Kabul and received a hero’s welcome, being met at the airport by vice-president Karim Khalili who then brought him to the national stadium in an open topped truck. 5,000 delighted fans greeted him and cheered his success while the TV network broadcast the festivities along with Nikpai’s winning bout. He is the pride of the nation.

Two Tales

The contrast between the two medals is fascinating. One is a national hero, while the other has sparked controversy, and shed light on possible corruption and politics getting in the way of fair play within his sport. Another 351 bronze medals were awarded to various countries, an each has its own story. 958 medals (gold, silver and bronze) were awarded to countries in the course of the games. Along with Afghanistan; the nations of Bahrain, Mauritius, Sudan, Tajikistan and Togo also won their first Olympic medals. Each medal has its own meaning for the athletes who competed for them and the nations who watched their athletes strive to be the best. Medals take on this meaning, symbolizing both the spirit of the games and the manner in which they were won.