Italian wrestler claims he rejected $300,000 bribe to lose a match in Baku
Chamizo, who competes for Italy after immigrating from Cuba in 2011, ended up controversially losing the semifinal match to Azerbaijani freestyle wrestler Turan Bayramov following a disputed late call.
“I knew that I had to give double, triple in Azerbaijan, because I was fighting in their country and they had bought everyone,” Chamizo claimed in remarks made to Italian newspaper La Repubblica. “I did it but then something happened that has echoes of wrestling many years ago.
“So I want to say it, they came to me and offered me $300,000 to lose. I don’t want to say who but it happened on the morning of the weigh-in.”
Chamizo said that he refused “because I don’t only represent myself, but also Italy … it’s not easy to break my integrity.”
Chamizo had used that last phrase in a post he put up on Instagram after also putting a video of the controversial finale on social media.
He wrote on the post of the video: “I want to apologize to those who are looking at this, my sport is beautiful. This is just a group of bribed and corrupt people. How sad. My heart is crying.”
The incident happened right at the end of the semifinal when — with the scores tied at 8-8 — Chamizo scored the two points that would have seen him win the match and qualify for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The judges had awarded him the points but a challenge from Bayramov’s coach was upheld.
“I’m still shocked. Sad, in pain, full of shame for what happened,” Chamizo added in the interview. “The five judges made the same decision, recognizing that I put my opponent’s right knee on the ground, so I won.”
Chamizo grew up in Cuba and won bronze at the 2010 world championships for the country before moving to Italy the following year.
He won gold at the 2015 and 2017 world championships and silver two years later, as well as bronze at the 2016 Olympics. Chamizo is also a four-time European champion.
The 31-year-old Chamizo has another chance to qualify for the Paris Games in next month’s world qualification tournament in Turkey.
“Am I worried about paying for these comments there? I come from Cuba, I’m not scared of anything,” Chamizo said. “Now I am in a free country, I can say what I think and what I want. No one will stop me.”
