Overweight arm wrestler disqualified for cheating
The European Championships in Arm Wrestling have been rocked by what organizers describe as "a major scandal".
The organizers of the tournament currently being held in Lycksele in northern Sweden have disqualified Russian world champion Arsen Liliev after he was found to have sent a team member in his place for Tuesday's weigh-in.
Liliev had intended to participate in the 70 kilo category but he proved to be two kilos over the limit for the first weigh-in. When the time came to hit the scales for the second time, the reigning world and European champion thought he had found a way to bypass the problem.
"He sent another team member from the Russian Federation as a stand-in and has now been disqualified for cheating," Andreas Johansson, chairman of Swedish Armsport told The Local.
The competitor Liliev sent in his place weighed eight kilos less than the world champion.
Had it not been for the fact that each competitor is photographed at the second weigh-in, the Russian arm wrestler might have escaped detection.
Unfortunately for Liliev, the referee noticed that there was something not quite right with the laminated photo that competitors are required to present as a means of identification.
"The Russian Federation had no prior knowledge of this and will not be sanctioned. But the two arm wrestlers have been put on a final warning and will be suspended from the sport for two years if they break the rules again," said Andreas Johansson, after consulting with the tournament organizers to confirm the initial rumours.
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The organizers of the tournament currently being held in Lycksele in northern Sweden have disqualified Russian world champion Arsen Liliev after he was found to have sent a team member in his place for Tuesday's weigh-in.
Liliev had intended to participate in the 70 kilo category but he proved to be two kilos over the limit for the first weigh-in. When the time came to hit the scales for the second time, the reigning world and European champion thought he had found a way to bypass the problem.
"He sent another team member from the Russian Federation as a stand-in and has now been disqualified for cheating," Andreas Johansson, chairman of Swedish Armsport told The Local.
The competitor Liliev sent in his place weighed eight kilos less than the world champion.
Had it not been for the fact that each competitor is photographed at the second weigh-in, the Russian arm wrestler might have escaped detection.
Unfortunately for Liliev, the referee noticed that there was something not quite right with the laminated photo that competitors are required to present as a means of identification.
"The Russian Federation had no prior knowledge of this and will not be sanctioned. But the two arm wrestlers have been put on a final warning and will be suspended from the sport for two years if they break the rules again," said Andreas Johansson, after consulting with the tournament organizers to confirm the initial rumours.
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