Italian wrestler Chamizo claims he rejected $300,000 bribe to throw a match he controversially lost

MILAN (AP) — Two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Frank Chamizo claimed he turned down a bribe of $300,000 to deliberately lose a match at last week’s European wrestling Olympic qualification tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Chamizo, who competes for Italy after immigrating from Cuba in 2011, ended up controversially losing the semifinal match to Azerbaijani freestyle wrestler Turan Bayramov following a disputed late call.

“I knew that I had to give double, triple in Azerbaijan, because I was fighting in their country and they had bought everyone,” Chamizo claimed in remarks made to Italian newspaper La Repubblica. “I did it but then something happened that has echoes of wrestling many years ago.

“So I want to say it, they came to me and offered me $300,000 to lose. I don’t want to say who but it happened on the morning of the weigh-in.”

Chamizo said that he refused “because I don’t only represent myself, but also Italy … it’s not easy to break my integrity.”

Chamizo had used that last phrase in a post he put up on Instagram after also putting a video of the controversial finale on social media.

He wrote on the post of the video: “I want to apologize to those who are looking at this, my sport is beautiful. This is just a group of bribed and corrupt people. How sad. My heart is crying."

The incident happened right at the end of the semifinal when — with the scores tied at 8-8 — Chamizo scored the two points that would have seen him win the match and qualify for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.

The judges had awarded him the points but a challenge from Bayramov's coach was upheld.

“I’m still shocked. Sad, in pain, full of shame for what happened,” Chamizo added in the interview. “The five judges made the same decision, recognizing that I put my opponent’s right knee on the ground, so I won."

Chamizo grew up in Cuba and won bronze at the 2010 world championships for the country before moving to Italy the following year.

He won gold at the 2015 and 2017 world championships and silver two years later, as well as bronze at the 2016 Olympics. Chamizo is also a four-time European champion.

The 31-year-old Chamizo has another chance to qualify for the Paris Games in next month’s world qualification tournament in Turkey.

“Am I worried about paying for these comments there? I come from Cuba, I’m not scared of anything,” Chamizo said. “Now I am in a free country, I can say what I think and what I want. No one will stop me.”

AP coverage of the Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

FILE - Italy's Frank Chamizo Marquez celebrates after winning the bronze medal during the men's 65-kg freestyle wrestling competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 21, 2016. Two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Frank Chamizo has claimed he turned down a bribe of $300,000 to throw a match at last week’s European wrestling Olympic qualification tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan. Chamizo ended up controversially losing the semifinal match to Azerbaijani freestyle wrestler Turan Bayramov following a disputed late call. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

BERLIN (AP) — Six climate activists broke through a security fence at Munich airport on Saturday and glued themselves to access routes leading to runways, temporarily shutting down flights.

The activists from the group Last Generation were protesting flying as the most polluting form of transportation, said the German news agency dpa. Police detained the six.

Some 60 flights were canceled during the disruption that lasted a couple of hours and passengers were rebooked on alternative flights, airport spokesperson Robert Wilhelm told dpa. Fourteen flights that were due to land in Munich were diverted to other airports, according to police.

Last Generation accused the German government of “downplaying” the negative effects of flying on the environment instead of “finally acting sincerely,” in a post on the social media platform X.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called for an end to such protests. “Such criminal actions threaten air traffic and harm climate protection because they only cause lack of understanding and anger,” she wrote on X.

Fraser also applauded police efforts to bring order back to the airport and called for airport safety measures to be checked.

Minister for Transport Volker Wissing said that his ministry was already working on further tightening existing laws.

The general manager of the German Airports Association, Ralph Beisel, also criticized the activists’ actions. “Trespassing the aviation security area is no trivial offense. Over hundreds of thousands of passengers were prevented from a relaxed and punctual start to their Pentecost holiday,” he told dpa.

Beisel also called for harsher penalties for activists who break into airports.

Climate activities blocked flights at Hamburg and Duesseldorf airports for several hours in July.

In January, Last Generation — known for gluing themselves to streets to block traffic which has infuriated many Germans — said it would abandon the tactic and move on to holding what it calls “disobedient assemblies.” Their actions have been widely criticized, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz described them as “completely nutty.”

Climate activists lie on a access road for runways at the Munich airport, Germany, Saturday, May 18, 2024. German officials and local media reported say authorities closed down Munich airport temporarily after six climate activists broke through a security fence and glued themselves to access routes leading to runways. The activists from the group Last Generation were protesting flying, the most polluting form of transportation, said the German news agency dpa on Saturday. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa via AP)