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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 11 2013
Turkish wrestler faces FILA penalty for racist tweets
11 August 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, Ä°STANBUL
Turkish wrestler and Olympic medalist Rıza Kayaalp was banned by the
International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) from
international competition for six months over racist tweets about
Armenians and Gezi Park protesters.
The Gezi Park protests began on May 27 as a peaceful sit-in in
Ä°stanbul's Gezi Park against a government plan to demolish the park to
make way for a replica of the Ottoman-era Topçu Barracks, part of a
larger-scale renovation project for Taksim square. Kayaalp tweeted
hateful messages about the protesters, which sparked outrage on social
media.
`You just leave the streets to Armenians, you f**ing looters' and
`F**k you traitors' were among his more controversial posts. In a less
coherent tweet, he said, `Shame on you left your square Armenians
Greek marauders God damnit activist dogs.'
Kayaalp's comments drew strong great reactions from the protesters,
and in a statement on the issue he claimed the Twitter account did not
belong to him. The IOC and FÄ°LA received many complaints about
Kayaalp's tweets.
According to the daily Habertürk, FÄ°LA made its decision on the case
three weeks ago and has now confirmed it to Kayaalp. The body ruled
that Kayaalp's tweets were racist attacks on the Armenian people and
banned him from competition for six months.
Kayaalp will be ineligible to attend international competitions until
Jan. 11, 2014, ruling out the World Wrestling Championships set to
take place in Hungary from Sept. 16 to 22. The Turkish wrestler hasn't
appealed the ruling so far.
European and World champion Kayaalp, who also won a bronze medal at
the Olympic Games in London last year, carried the Turkish flag in the
opening ceremony of the 2013 Mediterranean Games, held in Mersin,
Turkey, last June.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-323213-turkish-wrestler-faces-fila-penalty-for-racist-tweets.html
Aug 11 2013
Turkish wrestler faces FILA penalty for racist tweets
11 August 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, Ä°STANBUL
Turkish wrestler and Olympic medalist Rıza Kayaalp was banned by the
International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) from
international competition for six months over racist tweets about
Armenians and Gezi Park protesters.
The Gezi Park protests began on May 27 as a peaceful sit-in in
Ä°stanbul's Gezi Park against a government plan to demolish the park to
make way for a replica of the Ottoman-era Topçu Barracks, part of a
larger-scale renovation project for Taksim square. Kayaalp tweeted
hateful messages about the protesters, which sparked outrage on social
media.
`You just leave the streets to Armenians, you f**ing looters' and
`F**k you traitors' were among his more controversial posts. In a less
coherent tweet, he said, `Shame on you left your square Armenians
Greek marauders God damnit activist dogs.'
Kayaalp's comments drew strong great reactions from the protesters,
and in a statement on the issue he claimed the Twitter account did not
belong to him. The IOC and FÄ°LA received many complaints about
Kayaalp's tweets.
According to the daily Habertürk, FÄ°LA made its decision on the case
three weeks ago and has now confirmed it to Kayaalp. The body ruled
that Kayaalp's tweets were racist attacks on the Armenian people and
banned him from competition for six months.
Kayaalp will be ineligible to attend international competitions until
Jan. 11, 2014, ruling out the World Wrestling Championships set to
take place in Hungary from Sept. 16 to 22. The Turkish wrestler hasn't
appealed the ruling so far.
European and World champion Kayaalp, who also won a bronze medal at
the Olympic Games in London last year, carried the Turkish flag in the
opening ceremony of the 2013 Mediterranean Games, held in Mersin,
Turkey, last June.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-323213-turkish-wrestler-faces-fila-penalty-for-racist-tweets.html