Taekwondo battle for bronze had an extra nasty kick

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BEIJING -- Saturday’s taekwondo bronze-medal match packed extra punch after Angel Valodia Matos of Cuba deliberately kicked the referee in the face after being disqualified for taking too much time for an injury.

Matos was winning 3-2 against Arman Chilmanov of Kazakhstan, with 1:02 left in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit. Matos sat there, awaiting medical attention but was disqualified when he sat for longer than the allowed one minute.

Matos almost immediately charged Swedish referee Chakir Chelbat, who required stitches for a cut lip. The World Taekwondo Federation took immediate steps to place a lifetime ban on Matos. Chilmanov was declared the winner.

It isn’t the first time that the sport has been marred by angry scenes at an Olympics. At the 2004 Games in Athens, there was a storm of protests over refereeing decisions.

Taekwondo survived one vote by the International Olympic Committee when it came time to trim the number of sports, but it faces another vote next year as officials for cricket, rugby, golf and karate push for their sports to be included.

‘I feel this can be part of our growing pain,’ said World Taekwondo Federation chief Yang Jin-Suk. ‘With your blessings, we will overcome all the difficulties. We’re going to show what the true taekwondo is down the road.’

-- Debbie Goffa

After being disqualified, Angel Valodia Matos of Cuba launches a kick against referee Chakir Chelbat. Credit: Behrouz Mehri / AFP / Getty Images