Oh Hell Taekwon-No!

46. WOW! It reminds me of that clip from the intro of Malcom in the Middle where the boxing ref gets clobbered. If memory serves, I think that was in the olympics too (but I could be wrong)

Posted at 12:54AM on Aug 24th 2008 by Captain Obvious

47. this guy got a gold medal in sydney, he got another gold medal recently in the Panam games, He obviously is a major star in Cuba, and a world traveler because of his Karate tournaments, This lifetime ban effectively ends his karate life. Good. The MF Deserves it, and the humiliation he will suffer in his own country will be extreme, I am sure he was living the good life in a govt subsidized house etc etc etc, with all sorts of perks and priveleges, I am sure this will all quickly end too. Tee Hee aint karma a bitch

Posted at 1:05AM on Aug 24th 2008 by mack

48. No! He already hasn't been "banned for life," and neither has his coach. It was improper for the announcer to state this over the loudspeaker, and the reports are just as outrageous. And just because someone is "coaching" someone doesn't mean they should also be banned. Banned for what? The coach didn't tell him to kick the referee.

While what he did was unacceptable to say the least, he still deserves to have a due process. If that's the decision thereafter, than that's it. But before there has even been a hearing, NO ONE can immediately ban anyone from a sport "on the spot." The head of the WTF needs to be banned for stating this prematurely...he can NEVER get a fair hearing. If he cna't get a fair hearing, then he shouldn't be banned.

Posted at 3:50AM on Aug 24th 2008 by get real

49. Banning him for life from international competition is a start, but criminal assault charges are more than deserved. Besides that, the referee is due civil damages not only for medical costs, but for pain, suffering, and loss of consortium. This guy has disgraced his country and the art of Taekwon Do, as well as himself.

Posted at 4:57PM on Aug 24th 2008 by Geronimo

50. I hope TMZ will follow this story and let us know what happens when he gets back to Cuba. I don't know if they will punish him, or if they will cover up the story (closed media) or spin it differently, so as to not look foolish within their own country. Frankly, I hope he gets charged with assult.

Posted at 6:16AM on Aug 24th 2008 by Mama

51. Maybe the Ref needed to get some "Duck sauce"...
LOOOOOOL!!!!

Posted at 7:01AM on Aug 24th 2008 by Sound-off

52. 56 HE HAS BEEN BANNED FOR LIFE....................................A statement released by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) referred to the incident as a "strong violation of the spirit of taekwondo and the Olympic Games", ordered all reports of his participation in these Olympics to be stricken from the records, and imposed a lifetime ban preventing him and his coach, Leudis Gonzalez, from participation in any future WTF events.

Posted at 9:12AM on Aug 24th 2008 by mack

53. I think if he should follow the rules then so should the judge..
The thing is that he´s Cuban thats why its a big deal.
I like sports, but when the judges choose a side, I HATE it..
he should´ve kept on kicking his face, he was but ugly anyway.

Posted at 5:40PM on Aug 24th 2008 by Rocadoc

54. Everyone seems to forgett that the ref. knows taekwondo to.. But he´s to fat to defend him self..
and he´s not swedish. He lives in Sweden but is arabic or something like that..

Posted at 5:24PM on Aug 25th 2008 by Rocadoc

55. The animal need to be banned for life. I hope the ref is ok.

Posted at 10:07AM on Aug 24th 2008 by ArizonaLioness

56. I got tired of reading so many foolishness..."he was not trained properly because he is from a communist country", "he is a terrible athlete" and so on, but remember he was in position for the bronze medal (have you been so close to that, you who called him a loser?) the man made a terrible mistake in an understandable second that cost him all the effort of his life, is that not enough? so stop writing crap.

Posted at 11:12AM on Aug 24th 2008 by Alfredo

57. To all you idiots out there give it up, your racist comments shows HOW BLACK YOU ARE inside. GET A LIFE! you backward fools.

Posted at 11:13AM on Aug 24th 2008 by Rach L

58. THE REF IS BUCKEY BEAVER.

Posted at 11:33AM on Aug 24th 2008 by ashekea

59. Definately needs to be banned for life. Aside from being a pitiful display of lack of sportsmanship...

As a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, the one thing pushed into our minds from the get go are the tenets.

and one of them is INTEGRITY and SELF CONTROL

The creed of Tae kwon do is To build true confidence, through knowledge in the mind, honesty in the heart, and strength in the body. To keep friendship with one another and to build a strong and happy community. Never fight to achieve selfish ends but to develop might for right.

this is a disgusting display and shows a serious lack of respect for the Martial Arts.

Posted at 12:06PM on Aug 24th 2008 by Mayu

60. Also, it doesn't MATTER if he was in bronze position. (Third place mind you. wow, that's something to get hot over... not being first or second best.)

There is NO excuse for selfishly attacking a defensless person.

This was a Ref, he was not wearing protective gear like this guy was... I'm not even sure the ref was a martial artist so he had no way to defend himself.

There is NO place in the Martial Arts for ANY reason to attack a defensless person. The basis of Tae Kwon Do is self-defense or fighting in the defense of others. not to be used to cause harm.

Being a hotheaded, whiney "Waa I didn't get my THIRD PLACE medal" brat is definately not an excuse.

Where's the integrity?
Where's the perserverance?
Where's the indomidable spirit?
Where's the self control.

Dude broke all of the tenets of Tae Kwon Do in one kick. DEFINATELY should be banned for life if he already hasn't.

I've seen people demoted belt levels for less.

Posted at 12:18PM on Aug 24th 2008 by Mayu