Date 23 August 2008 | Competitors 16 | |
Location Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium, Beijing, China Venue Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium | ||
The men's +80 kg competition in taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing took place on August 23 at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium.
Contents
Cuban competitor Ángel Valodia Matos was leading 3-2 in the bronze medal bout against Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov, until he apparently suffered a broken toe and was subsequently disqualified for exceeding the allotted one minute of injury time. Matos kicked referee Chakir Chelbat in the face, pushed a judge and spat on the floor of the arena before being escorted out by security, with his coach, Leudin González, who criticized the referee's ruling as too strict and also accused Kazakhstan of bribing officials.
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) subsequently banned Matos and González from WTF sanctioned events for life, and Matos's records at the Beijing Games were expunged. As Chelbat received a cut lip that required seven stitches, the WTF also considered taking legal action against the Cuban team.
Competition format
The main bracket consisted of a single elimination tournament, culminating in the gold medal match. Two bronze medals were awarded at the taekwondo competitions. A repechage was used to determine the bronze medal winners. Every competitor who lost to one of the two finalists competed in the repechage, another single-elimination competition. Each semifinal loser faced the last remaining repechage competitor from the opposite half of the bracket in a bronze medal match.
Schedule
All times are China standard time (UTC+8)