Wrestling champion gives up Olympic place after brawl

MOSCOW (AP) A two-time wrestling world champion said Tuesday he is giving up his place at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after a brawl marred a Russian qualifying tournament.

Viktor Lebedev was competing against Ismail Musukayev in a semifinal bout at the Russian nationals on Friday when Musukayev was angered by refereeing calls against him and shoved Lebedev.

Musukayev's supporters and coaches charged into the ring, prompting a scuffle that was broken up by riot police. Wrestlers from Musukayev's home region of Dagestan then boycotted the tournament in protest at the standard of refereeing, causing a nationwide scandal.

Lebedev told local news outlet News.Ykt on Tuesday that he is withdrawing from the Olympic team as ''a matter of honor'' because he feels officials gave him favorable calls in front of his home crowd in the Siberian city of Yakutsk.

''Let's say I win Olympic gold. I don't doubt that I could win it,'' he said. ''Even if I were to climb onto that podium with the gold, I wouldn't have those emotions. I wouldn't be especially happy that my dream had come true.''

Lebedev said Musukayev had been wronged but insisted his opponent had been wrong to start the brawl. ''You can't behave that way regardless of how the judging goes for you,'' he said.

Lebedev can be replaced on the team by another Russian in the 57-kilogram class, though he was the favorite to go to the Rio Olympics after winning world championship bronze and European Games gold last year.

Wrestling is traditionally a source of great pride for many of Russia's ethnic minority groups, including in Lebedev's Arctic home region of Yakutia and in Dagestan, a province in Russia's volatile North Caucasus otherwise known for its Islamist insurgency.

Competition for a place on the Russian national team, one of the world's best, is fierce and in recent years various domestic competitions have been marred by brawls between fans from different regions and ethnic groups.

Earlier this month, a wrestler from Chechnya hit his opponent after the end of the bout and some of his team, including a man with a pistol, rushed into the ring in support.