MOSCOW (AP) — Riot police had to be sent in when a scuffle erupted after a Russian wrestling championship bout.
Viktor Lebedev of Russia’s northern region of Yakutia on Friday beat Ismail Musukayev of Dagestan in a 57kg semifinal bout at the competition that decides who represents Russia at the Rio Olympics. The championship was held in Yakutsk, the province’s capital.
State television showed Musukayev’s coaches and supporters pouring onto the ring and starting a scuffle with Lebedev. Several minutes later, riot police were sent in to stop the fight.
The Russian Wrestling Federation said all wrestlers from Dagestan have now boycotted the competition in protest and were handed a technical defeat.