Olympic champion from Dagestan rejects medal

 Sagid Murtazaliev, the Russian Olympic champion from Dagestan who 

won gold in the 2000 Olympics in freestyle wrestling, is still going 

to give up the medal to protest against plans by the IOC to ban 

wrestling from  the Olympic program.

The Russian Olympic Committee is trying to persuade him not to give up his medal.

Today ROC president Alexander Zhukov spoke against the return of 

Olympic medals by the Russian fighter, the parliament of Dagestan also 

asked the champion not to give up the award.

"My decision is categorical and quite reasonable. Again, I repeat 

that this, in my opinion, wrong decision by the IOC will affect the 

future of tens of thousands of young athletes, whose main goal in 

life is to take part in the Olympic Games and to bring their country 

the awaited Olympic medal," Murtaziyev is quoted by RIA Novosti.