In this Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, file photo, Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli of Malaysia reacts after competing in the men's shot put F20 final during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games at the National Stadium in Tokyo. Zolkefli appeared to have won gold in the shot put in the F20 class. But after the victory on Tuesday, he was disqualified because he had shown up late for the competition. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
By Stephen Wade
Even in the Paralympics Games, there is controversy over victory and defeat.
Malaysian shot putter Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli appeared to have won gold in the shot put in the F20 class. But after the victory on Tuesday, he was disqualified because he had shown up late for the competition.
International Paralympic Committee spokesman Craig Spence said Zolkefli and two others — who did not reach the podium — were allowed to compete under protest after they failed to appear on time for the event.
“They were late, they may have had a logical reason for being late, and therefore we allowed them to compete and look at the facts of the matter afterward," Spence said.
A statement from World Para Athletics, which governs track and field for Para sports, said a referee had determined after the event that “there was no justifiable reason for the athletes' failure to report” on time. It said an appeal was also turned down.
The disqualification bumped Maksym Koval of Ukraine up to gold, and Ukraine teammate Oleksandr Yarovyi took silver. Bronze went to Efstratios Nikolaidis of Greece.
Spence said the disqualification was met with anger on social media. He described it as “very abusive.” Much of it targeted the Ukrainians.
“We are now seeing comments on all our social media posts that have nothing to do with the men’s shot put F20 event,” Spence said. He said the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee “was getting a lot of abuse from Malaysians.”
“I’m sorry. Rules are rules,” Spence said. "The decision was taken. It wasn’t the Ukrainians fault that the Malaysian was late.”
Spence said the three had arrived three minutes late. He said he did not see this as a harsh penalty. “Others get there five minutes early,” he said.
Spence said an excuse given was that the Malaysian and the two others said they “didn't hear the announcement or it was in a language” they did not understand.
The F20 class in shot put is for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
The Associated Press attempted to reach the Malaysian delegation through an email address provided by IPC officials. There was no immediate response on Wednesday.
Early in 2019, the IPC stripped Malaysia of the World Para Swimming Championships for being unwilling to guarantee that Israeli athletes could compete.
Spence said the reaction then was similar.
“The level of abuse that was directed at the IPC then was through the roof,” Spence said.
A number of major sports leagues like the NFL, NHL, and NBA are now postponing or canceling games altogether as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country. The latest omicron variant is now forcing leagues to implement new COVID protocols as several of their players have tested positive. President and CEO of Life Flip Media and Sports Analyst Eric Mitchell, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Carlo and Baker preview President Biden's address to the nation as Omicron becomes the new dominant Covid strain. Plus, Trump gets booed for getting his booster and the White House gets a new puppy.
Olivia Harlan Dekker provides her top picks for Week 15 of the NFL season, while Minty Bets discusses the strategy behind picking games amid a league-wide COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, Jared Smith breaks down his approach to betting college football bowl games.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Carlo and Baker wrap up another week discussing the latest explosion in new Covid cases in the Northeast, President Biden's stalled agenda and more. Plus, Love, Hate, Ate featuring the question: why did movie dialogue get so hard to understand?
Olivia Harlan Dekker, BetMGM host, joins Cheddar News to dissect the best bets in the matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, and breaks down the other big game of Week 15.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Jared Smith, sports betting analyst from Pickswise, joins Cheddar Bets to break down the best bets you can make for the first wave of College Football bowl games, and how to make picks despite some stars opting-out of the games.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Minty Bets, sports betting analyst for Yahoo Sportsbook, joins Cheddar News to discuss same-game parlays and navigating this week's slate of NFL games despite the league-wide outbreak of COVID-19.
Sponsored by BetMGM
The sports world has been at the forefront of dealing with the pandemic ever since the NBA temporarily halted operations in March 2020 and opted to play in their Florida bubble. As the omicron variant and current COVID surge forces game postponements and player quarantines, how leagues manage to continue operations through the outbreaks could be a sign of what is to come for the general public. Dr. Robby Sikka, chair of the COVID Sports Society Workgroup and a former VP with the Minnesota Timberwolves, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about the ways in which the NBA, NHL, and NFL are innovating amid the disruptions.
Tom Shannon, Bowlero CEO, joined Cheddar to discuss the decision to bring the company to the New York Stock Exchange via a SPAC merger with Isos Acquisition Corporation. Shannon said one of the goals of the public offering is to expand operations internationally, noting that Bowlero has the potential to reach worldwide markets due to the sport's popularity. "Bowling is a global market, and I'll give you an example. In South Korea, there are three million league bowlers and 1,200 bowling centers in South Korea alone," he said.
Stefan Olander, Co-Founder of Omorpho, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how they are bringing innovation into athleticwear by creating 'gravity sportswear.'
