UWW confirmed unfair refereeing in the Chamizo-Bayramov bout

On April 23, the International Wrestling Union (UWW), represented by its Disciplinary Chamber, deprived the referees of the right to judge for violations during the semifinal match between Frank Chamiso (Italy) and Turan Bayramov (Azerbaijan) as part of the European Qualification in March 2024 in Baku, pres-release  of the UWW.

Despite the sanctions, Bayramov remains the winner of the bout as according to Article 53 of the International Wrestling Rules, under no circumstances may the result of a match be modified after the victory has been declared on the mat.

The Disciplinary Chamber, however, asked UWW to place Chamizo as a top seed in the brackets of the next qualifying event, the World OG Qualifier from May 9 in Istanbul.

During the Chamizo-Bayramov bout, Roman Pavlov was the referee on the mat, Ali M. Saiwan was the judge and Aleksei Bazulin was the mat chairman. The referee delegation comprised Kamel Bouaziz, Ibrahim Cicioglu and Casey Goessl.

The Disciplinary Chamber has decided to suspend both Pavlov and Cicioglu from all their duties until December 31, 2024. Saiwan is suspended from all his duties until September 30, 2024. Mat chairman for the bout Bazulin is suspended from all his duties until June 30, 2024, and the remaining two members of the referee delegation Bouaziz and Goessl have been handed suspensions from all their duties until June 30, 2024.

Bayramov won the bout 8-8 on criteria and earned a Paris Olympic quota for Azerbaijan. However, the Italian Wrestling Federation complained about several refereeing mistakes during this bout and a controverted challenge decision which are deemed to have caused an incorrect final score and outcome of the match.

UWW formed two different panels to review the complaints and statements from each member of the refereeing body and the refereeing delegates were requested and forwarded to the UWW Administration. The refereeing delegates also submitted their co-signed report on the match.

The disciplinary commission recognized that the judges incorrectly assessed the actions of the wrestlers, it is noted in the press release.

Recall that the Italian wrestler said that in Baku he was offered 300 thousand dollars to lose to Bayramov. However, he refused and the tournament organizers bribed the judges.