Angel Matos
Encyclopedia
Ángel Valodia Matos Fuentes (born December 24, 1976 in Holguín
) is a former Cuba
n taekwondo
athlete. He received a gold medal
at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
, and added another
at the 2007 Pan American Games
in Rio de Janeiro
.
The World Taekwondo Federation
banned Matos and his coach for life following an incident at the 2008 Summer Olympics
where Matos kicked the Swedish
referee
Chakir Chelbat in the face, after being disqualified in the bronze medal
match. The decision was later ratified by the IOC.
, Matos was gold medalist in the men's middleweight (80 kg) class. In the first round, he defeated Felipe Soto Alvarez of Chile
9–2. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Victor Manuel Estrada Garibay of Mexico
2–0, besting Swede
Roman Livaja in the semifinals, 4–0. In the gold medal match Matos defeated Germany
's Faissal Ebnoutalib
3–1.
, Matos was defeated 4–1 by eventual gold medalist Steven López
. He was not a medalist at Athens in 2004
, being ousted by Mexican Estrada 8–7, in the preliminary round of 16.
, Matos was set against Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov
. After he incurred an injury in the fight (at which point he led the match 3-2), he took a Kyeshi
. Under World Taekwondo Federation
tournament rules, players sustaining injury are allowed one minute of Kyeshi time, at the end of which the competitor in question must return to the center of the ring to resume the fight or request further time, or else forfeit the match. Swedish
referee Chakir Chelbat gave a time warning at 40 seconds, but Kyeshi elapsed without Matos returning to the center. The referee ruled while he was sitting awaiting medical attention that he had taken too long during his time out and subsequently disqualified him. "To me it was obvious he was unable to continue," his opponent Arman Chilmanov
of Kazakhstan said. "His toe on his left foot was broken." After Chilmanov was declared the winner, Matos briefly argued and then kicked Chelbat in the face, pushed a judge, and spat on the floor of the arena before being escorted out by security. Matos and his coach, Leudis Gonzalez, were ejected from the event and banned for life by the World Taekwondo Federation
. Given alleged poor judging during the Olympics, the crowd watching the event chanted "Cuba" and applauded him and his coach.
Matos's coach Leudis González said of the referee's initial decision to end the fight, "He was too strict..." and accused the Kazakhstan team of offering bribes.
A statement released by the World Taekwondo Federation
referred to the incident as a "strong violation of the spirit of taekwondo and the Olympic Games", ordered all reports of his participation in the 2008 Olympics to be struck from the records, and imposed a lifetime ban preventing him and his coach, González, from participation in any future World Taekwondo Federation events.
Former Cuban president
Fidel Castro
defended Matos, saying he was rightfully indignant over his disqualification. "I saw when the judges blatantly stole fights from two Cuban boxers in the semifinals
", Castro wrote. "Our fighters ... had hopes of winning, despite the judges, but it was useless. They were condemned beforehand."
's postal service Royal Mail
released a stamp in 2010 commemorating taekwondo's inclusion in the London 2012 Olympic Games
. The image on the stamp was created by illustrator James Fryer and it is debated that the illustration may be based on a widely-circulated photo of Matos kicking referee Chelbat at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Holguín
Holguín is a municipality and city, the capital of the Cuban Province of Holguín. It also includes a tourist area, offering beach resorts in the outskirts of the region.-History:...
) is a former Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
athlete. He received a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and added another
Taekwondo at the 2007 Pan American Games
Taekwondo at the 2007 Pan American Games was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 14 to July 17, 2007, at Pavilhão 4A of the Riocentro Sports Complex...
at the 2007 Pan American Games
2007 Pan American Games
The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to July 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Committees competed in 332 events in 34 sports and in...
in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
The World Taekwondo Federation
World Taekwondo Federation
The World Taekwondo Federation is the International Federation member of the International Olympic Committee for the competition events of the martial art of taekwondo...
banned Matos and his coach for life following an incident at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 20 to August 23 at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium. 128 Taekwondo practitioners, 64 men and 64 women, competed in 8 events...
where Matos kicked the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
Chakir Chelbat in the face, after being disqualified in the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
match. The decision was later ratified by the IOC.
2000 Summer Olympics
At the 2000 Summer OlympicsTaekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Taekwondo was contested as an official sport at the Olympic Games for the first time at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. It had previously been a demonstration sport in 1988 and 1992. Medals were awarded in four weight classes each for men and women...
, Matos was gold medalist in the men's middleweight (80 kg) class. In the first round, he defeated Felipe Soto Alvarez of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
9–2. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Victor Manuel Estrada Garibay of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
2–0, besting Swede
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Roman Livaja in the semifinals, 4–0. In the gold medal match Matos defeated Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Faissal Ebnoutalib
Faissal Ebnoutalib
Faissal Ebnoutalib is a German taekwondo practitioner and Olympic medalist. He is a seven-time German middleweight national champion and received the silver medal in the 80 kg division at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.His younger brother, Mohamed Ebnoutalib, is a German taekwondo...
3–1.
2004 Summer Olympics
Matos was the defending Olympic welterweight champion. At the 2003 Pan American Games2003 Pan American Games
The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....
, Matos was defeated 4–1 by eventual gold medalist Steven López
Steven López
Steven López is a 2000 and 2004 Olympic Gold medalist and a 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist in taekwondo. In 2001, he won the Lightweight Taekwondo World Championship, and in 2003 he won the Welterweight Taekwondo World Championship which he has since won in 2005, 2007 and 2009 making him the first...
. He was not a medalist at Athens in 2004
Taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics were held in the Sports Pavilion at the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex where 124 competitors competed in eight events, four each for men and women....
, being ousted by Mexican Estrada 8–7, in the preliminary round of 16.
2008 Summer Olympics
In the bronze medal match in the men's 80+ kg class at the 2008 Summer OlympicsTaekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 20 to August 23 at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium. 128 Taekwondo practitioners, 64 men and 64 women, competed in 8 events...
, Matos was set against Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov
Arman Chilmanov
Arman Chilmanov is a Kazakhstani Taekwondo athlete.- 2008 Olympics :Chilmanov was the other competitor in the controversial +80 kg bronze medal match against Ángel Matos of Cuba....
. After he incurred an injury in the fight (at which point he led the match 3-2), he took a Kyeshi
Kyeshi
Kyeshi is a term used in taekwondo competitions.The use of the term is described in article 19 of the competition rules administrated by the World Taekwondo Federation. Article 19 describes the procedure for handling injuries during a contest...
. Under World Taekwondo Federation
World Taekwondo Federation
The World Taekwondo Federation is the International Federation member of the International Olympic Committee for the competition events of the martial art of taekwondo...
tournament rules, players sustaining injury are allowed one minute of Kyeshi time, at the end of which the competitor in question must return to the center of the ring to resume the fight or request further time, or else forfeit the match. Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
referee Chakir Chelbat gave a time warning at 40 seconds, but Kyeshi elapsed without Matos returning to the center. The referee ruled while he was sitting awaiting medical attention that he had taken too long during his time out and subsequently disqualified him. "To me it was obvious he was unable to continue," his opponent Arman Chilmanov
Arman Chilmanov
Arman Chilmanov is a Kazakhstani Taekwondo athlete.- 2008 Olympics :Chilmanov was the other competitor in the controversial +80 kg bronze medal match against Ángel Matos of Cuba....
of Kazakhstan said. "His toe on his left foot was broken." After Chilmanov was declared the winner, Matos briefly argued and then kicked Chelbat in the face, pushed a judge, and spat on the floor of the arena before being escorted out by security. Matos and his coach, Leudis Gonzalez, were ejected from the event and banned for life by the World Taekwondo Federation
World Taekwondo Federation
The World Taekwondo Federation is the International Federation member of the International Olympic Committee for the competition events of the martial art of taekwondo...
. Given alleged poor judging during the Olympics, the crowd watching the event chanted "Cuba" and applauded him and his coach.
Matos's coach Leudis González said of the referee's initial decision to end the fight, "He was too strict..." and accused the Kazakhstan team of offering bribes.
A statement released by the World Taekwondo Federation
World Taekwondo Federation
The World Taekwondo Federation is the International Federation member of the International Olympic Committee for the competition events of the martial art of taekwondo...
referred to the incident as a "strong violation of the spirit of taekwondo and the Olympic Games", ordered all reports of his participation in the 2008 Olympics to be struck from the records, and imposed a lifetime ban preventing him and his coach, González, from participation in any future World Taekwondo Federation events.
Former Cuban president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
defended Matos, saying he was rightfully indignant over his disqualification. "I saw when the judges blatantly stole fights from two Cuban boxers in the semifinals
Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics
The boxing program of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China was held at the Workers Indoor Arena.Medals were awarded in eleven events, with each event corresponding to a recognized weight division of male boxers...
", Castro wrote. "Our fighters ... had hopes of winning, despite the judges, but it was useless. They were condemned beforehand."
Legacy
Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
's postal service Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
released a stamp in 2010 commemorating taekwondo's inclusion in the London 2012 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. The image on the stamp was created by illustrator James Fryer and it is debated that the illustration may be based on a widely-circulated photo of Matos kicking referee Chelbat at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.