Wrestler Deepak Punia’s coach Gaidarov expelled from Olympics for assaulting referee

Tokyo, August 6

Indian wrestler Deepak Punia’s foreign coach Murad Gaidarov was on Friday expelled from the Tokyo Olympics for assaulting the referee, who had officiated the bronze medal play-off that the Indian had lost to San Marino’s Myles Nazim Amine.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cancelled Gaidarov’s accreditation after a hearing was held in the matter.

“Indian wrestling team’s foreign assistant coach Mr Murad Gaidarov who was involved in an uncalled incident of assault on one of the match referees, is being withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympic Village immediately and is being called back to India on the latest flight,” IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta tweeted.

Gaidarov has been guiding Deepak for some time now after the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) assigned him to train the 2018 junior world champion.

Gaidarov, 42, had won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, representing Belarus.

He was disqualified from the 2004 Olympic Games when he assaulted his opponent outside the arena after losing his quarterfinal bout. PTI