Rio Olympics: Twitter lost it’s mind over Mongolian wrestling coaches stripping
By Matt Couden
At the final day of the Rio Olympics, a Mongolian wrestler was stripped of a bronze medal, so his wrestling coaches protested the decision by stripping down.
During Sunday’s Olympics wrestling competition, Mongolia’s wrestling coaches did not take their wrestler’s loss lightly. In fact, the coaches were so upset over the decision, they engaged in a unique protest.
The incident occurred during the Olympics Men’s Freestyle 65kg event. Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzorig lost the bronze medal match in what some people say involved a suspect finish by his opponent. Ichthyic Navruzov of Uzbekistan ended up taking the medal.
The coaches weren’t happy following their wrestler losing the bout and the medal. That all caused the coach to strip down in protest. Two coaches in particular disrobed. One tore off just his shirt, while the other also removed his own pants.
Photos have surfaced online quickly to show the protest, including this one at Twitter.
People on the social media micro-blogging site had a lot to say about the moment. Some people were saying how it was just plain nuts while others felt it was one of the best protests they’ve seen recently.
65kg Men's Freestyle Wrestling Mongolia vs Uzbekistan was the most epic Bronze medal match I've ever seen in #Olympichistory!!!
— David Whitaker (@lovemademusic) August 21, 2016
An interesting sidenote occurred. Apparently, it took the effort of some national law enforcement to come things down at the Olympics venue.
Brazilian national police had to escort both Mongolia coaches off. The one put his pants back on. Both shirtless. And the crowd goes wild.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) August 21, 2016
Some Twitter users even gave their take on Mongolian culture and possible travel plans.
Wow a huge cultural misunderstanding in Rio. Apparently they don't know that in Mongolia, taking your pants off is a sign of respect.
— N628TS (@Robbie_gr) August 21, 2016
There was another incident during a judo match in which the losing party refused to return a handshake. However, the guy who lost also kept his clothes on, as did any coaches. Mongolia decided to finish off the Olympics wrestling with a “must see” moment.
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There’s been plenty of interesting comments, controversies, and incidents so far at the Rio Olympics. This could potentially overshadow the winning side in the men’s wrestling today. A few individuals from the United States (Lochte, Solo) may be hoping this takes the spotlight off their respective controversies, at least a little bit.