At the European Championship, a Belarusian wrestler slapped a titled Turk for his arrogance. This almost cost our athlete a medal
A scandal involving Belarusian athlete Pavel Hlinchuk took place at the European Wrestling Championship in Tirana, Albania. The Belarusian was almost disqualified, but he eventually secured a medal, writes "Tribuna".
Pavel Hlinchuk — on the right
Pavel Hlinchuk confidently reached the semi-finals, defeating opponents from Sweden and Italy. In the semi-final, his opponent was the very experienced Turkish wrestler Rıza Kayaalp — an 11-time European champion and 5-time world champion.
During the bout, which the Turkish athlete was confidently winning, he twice struck Hlinchuk's head with an open palm, which is against the rules. The referee stopped the fight and issued warnings. But after the second such incident, the Belarusian lost his temper: he pushed his opponent and struck him back.
During the fight. The Turkish athlete in a blue leotard, Pavel Hlinchuk — in red
After this, Kayaalp dramatically fell onto the mat, and the referees, after discussing the situation, disqualified Hlinchuk for his behavior. He subsequently did not shake hands with either his opponent or the referees.
Initially, this meant that the Belarusian would not be able to compete for bronze. However, his team filed an appeal, pointing out that the conflict was provoked by the Turkish wrestler. As a result, the decision was softened: the disqualification remained only for that particular bout, but Hlinchuk was allowed to participate in the fight for third place.
On the evening of April 21, Pavel Hlinchuk, who is competing in these competitions in a neutral status, entered the bronze medal match against another "neutral" athlete — Marat Kamparov from Russia. He proved stronger and won the medal.
Pavel Hlinchuk is 24 years old and comes from the Dokshytsy district. He competes in the heaviest weight category.
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