The disqualification of a wrestler after losing his gold medal bout has overshadowed Australia's relentless quest to dominate the medal tally at the Commonwealth Games today.
At a meeting with Australian team officials, Hassene Fkiri has narrowly escaped being sent home in disgrace and has been sanctioned instead.
It's raised the issue of what makes a sporting champion - a medal or good sportsmanship?
John Taylor reports from Delhi.
JOHN TAYLOR: It's been Australia's most controversial event at these Commonwealth Games, 36-year-old wrestler Hassene Fkiri was in the gold medal match, only to be fouled out in a bitter contest.
But then he refused to shake hands with his Indian competitor and gave a rude gesture to officials, and the silver turned to nothing. He was disqualified from competition.
Australia's Chef de Mission Steve Moneghetti says Fkiri came close to being expelled from Delhi.
STEVE MONEGHETTI: It was well within our rights to instantly dismiss him from the team and send him home.
JOHN TAYLOR: Australian team officials met into the early hours of the morning discussing what action they should take against Hassene Fkiri. His past good record saved him.
STEVE MONEGHETTI: Lets be totally clear here - he's a very experienced sportsman, he's been to the Olympic Games and he's 36 years of age, and this was completely out of character - he has shown absolutely no indication of this type of behaviour before and he said that, his coach, our section manager and a couple of other people have agreed that this was totally out of character for Hassene.
JOHN TAYLOR: Mahabir Parsad is the coach of the Indian gold medal winner Anil Kumar. He says Fkiri was caught up in the emotion of the match.
ANIL KUMAR: And he, lose his temper. And temper lose very much so he did that, it happen in sports because you are hoping for a gold and when gold going from you out, then he can be misbehave.
JOHN TAYLOR: But Steve Moneghetti says Hassene Fkiri will be sanctioned.
Today the wrestler will apologise to Games wrestling officials. He will stay at the village where he will help out other athletes. And then when he returns to Australia, once a week for a year he will help tutor young wrestlers in an inner-city Sydney gym.
STEVE MONEGHETTI: Let's be clear on this it would have been easy to send him home. Now in my mind, that wouldn't have given him the opportunity to be a player fulfilling role in this team. In the way we've acted gives him the opportunity to prove that this was completely out of character and he can take steps to regain the confidence of the other Australian Commonwealth Game team members.
JOHN TAYLOR: Australia's Chef de Mission is a well credentialled athlete, having competed at four Olympics and four Commonwealth Games. For Steve Mongetti, the rude gesture is not the worst part of Fkiri's behaviour.
STEVE MONEGHETTI: The most disappointing facet of this whole event was the fact that he wouldn't shake hands with the opposition, because that's, you know, you play hard, Australians are, we play hard, but we play once, once the match is decided we accept the results and we play fair.
JOHN TAYLOR: He believes if there's an upside to last night's events, it's that it's reinforced what makes sport, important.
STEVE MONEGHETTI: Participating in sport is far more than winning and losing in competition, it is being, participating in a fair and equitable way.
MARK COLVIN: Australia's team boss Steve Monaghetti ending that report by John Taylor in New Delhi.
Source http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2010/s3031299.htm
At a meeting with Australian team officials, Hassene Fkiri has narrowly escaped being sent home in disgrace and has been sanctioned instead.
It's raised the issue of what makes a sporting champion - a medal or good sportsmanship?
John Taylor reports from Delhi.
JOHN TAYLOR: It's been Australia's most controversial event at these Commonwealth Games, 36-year-old wrestler Hassene Fkiri was in the gold medal match, only to be fouled out in a bitter contest.
But then he refused to shake hands with his Indian competitor and gave a rude gesture to officials, and the silver turned to nothing. He was disqualified from competition.
Australia's Chef de Mission Steve Moneghetti says Fkiri came close to being expelled from Delhi.
STEVE MONEGHETTI: It was well within our rights to instantly dismiss him from the team and send him home.
JOHN TAYLOR: Australian team officials met into the early hours of the morning discussing what action they should take against Hassene Fkiri. His past good record saved him.
STEVE MONEGHETTI: Lets be totally clear here - he's a very experienced sportsman, he's been to the Olympic Games and he's 36 years of age, and this was completely out of character - he has shown absolutely no indication of this type of behaviour before and he said that, his coach, our section manager and a couple of other people have agreed that this was totally out of character for Hassene.
JOHN TAYLOR: Mahabir Parsad is the coach of the Indian gold medal winner Anil Kumar. He says Fkiri was caught up in the emotion of the match.
ANIL KUMAR: And he, lose his temper. And temper lose very much so he did that, it happen in sports because you are hoping for a gold and when gold going from you out, then he can be misbehave.
JOHN TAYLOR: But Steve Moneghetti says Hassene Fkiri will be sanctioned.
Today the wrestler will apologise to Games wrestling officials. He will stay at the village where he will help out other athletes. And then when he returns to Australia, once a week for a year he will help tutor young wrestlers in an inner-city Sydney gym.
STEVE MONEGHETTI: Let's be clear on this it would have been easy to send him home. Now in my mind, that wouldn't have given him the opportunity to be a player fulfilling role in this team. In the way we've acted gives him the opportunity to prove that this was completely out of character and he can take steps to regain the confidence of the other Australian Commonwealth Game team members.
JOHN TAYLOR: Australia's Chef de Mission is a well credentialled athlete, having competed at four Olympics and four Commonwealth Games. For Steve Mongetti, the rude gesture is not the worst part of Fkiri's behaviour.
STEVE MONEGHETTI: The most disappointing facet of this whole event was the fact that he wouldn't shake hands with the opposition, because that's, you know, you play hard, Australians are, we play hard, but we play once, once the match is decided we accept the results and we play fair.
JOHN TAYLOR: He believes if there's an upside to last night's events, it's that it's reinforced what makes sport, important.
STEVE MONEGHETTI: Participating in sport is far more than winning and losing in competition, it is being, participating in a fair and equitable way.
MARK COLVIN: Australia's team boss Steve Monaghetti ending that report by John Taylor in New Delhi.
Source http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2010/s3031299.htm
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