The Rio games, officially the Olympics of Undress, began with a shirtless Tongan flag-bearer two weeks ago and ended on Sunday with a pair of angry naked Mongolian wrestling coaches.
Only the latter was an unplanned performance. In fact, it was a protest strip.
AFP, Reuters, The Straits Times
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After Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzorig lost the bronze medal in the 65-kilogram freestyle wrestling to Ikhtiyor Navruzov of Uzbekistan, two of Ganzorig’s coaches blamed the defeat on a refereeing decision that saw the Mongolian hit with a late penalty. They immediately lost their minds and their shirts.
Byambarenchin Bayaraa ripped off his top and flung it on the mat while railing at the referees’ table. Another coach exploding next to him went even further. After the shirt came off, so did the track pants, which he spiked harder than a football.
“The referees were not good. They only supported the Uzbek,” Bayaraa said. “After the challenge for five seconds we win, and we are very happy for this medal…Three million people in Mongolia waited for this bronze medal and now we have no medal.”
For those of you keeping score at home, the two hefty Mongolians’ physiques had nothing on Pita Taufatofua, the sculpted Tongan flag-bearer.
A stunned crowd inside the Carioca 2 Arena wasn’t sure what to make of it. But to the two angry Mongolians, there was only one interpretation.
“A 100 per cent of the stadium supported us,” Bayaraa said.
Reuters, AFP
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