Two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist in wrestling Frank Camizzo of Italy revealed that he rejected a bribe of $300,000 to voluntarily forfeit a match at the qualifying tournament held in Baku last week, AP reported, quoted by BNR .
Chamiso, who competes for Italy, where he arrived from Cuba in 2011, controversially lost the freestyle semifinal to Azerbaijani wrestler Turan Bayramov.
"I knew I had to be two or three times better than the others because I was competing in their country and they could buy anyone," Chamizo said via the "Republika" newspaper. "I mean they came to me and offered me $300,000 to lose. I don't want to say who, but it happened the morning before the fights," he added. However, he refused because he represents not only himself, but also Italy.
He also wrote on his Instagram profile after the lost match. "I want to apologize to everyone who watched this, my sport is beautiful. They are a group of corrupt people. Very sad, my heart is crying", wrote the wrestler.
The incident happened at the end of the match, when with a score of 8:8 Chamizo scored two more points, which would have given him the right to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris. The judges awarded him the points, but then upheld the appeal of Bayramov's coach.
The 31-year-old Chamizo will have another chance to qualify for the Olympics at the tournament in Turkey next month. "Am I worried that I can pay for these words? I come from Cuba, I'm not afraid of anything. Now I'm in a free country, I say what I see and think. "No one can stop me," the wrestler added.