- Sandro Bazadze lost 15-14 to Mohamed Amer in the men’s sabre fencing.
- But the world number one insisted he had won and slammed the umpire.
- He claimed he had been “killed” by the umpires for the second consecutive tournament.
The world’s No. 1 ranked fencer walked out of the men’s sabre competition at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, but he didn’t go quietly.
Georgia’s Sandro Bazadze lost 15-14 to Egypt’s Mohamed Amer in the round of 16.
But the match ended with both players clearly celebrating.
Bazadze seemed convinced he had gotten the winning touch before Amer and appeared surprised when his opponent was announced the winner.
However, Spanish match referee Vanessa Chichon reviewed the video and still concluded that Amer had won.
Fencing star Sandro Bazadze is furious after losing the men’s sabre event at Paris 2024.
Georgia’s Bazadze (left) lost 15-14 to Egypt’s Mohamed Amer in the round of 16 on Saturday.
Bazadze was enraged and continued shouting at Chichon, but Chichon ignored him and walked out of the arena.
“It’s the second time I’ve been beaten by the judging panel, just like in Tokyo,” Bazadze later told media, reflecting on his loss to Aaron Shirazi in the semi-finals of the 2020 Olympics.
“In Tokyo they destroyed my life and almost ended my career.
“But then I came back and became No. 1 in the world, got ready for the Olympics, and she killed me.”
He later added: “My career is over. It’s over. How can I come back when the umpires are always scolding me so harshly?”
“She went to check out the video. I’ve been training for this for 21 years and she treats me like a stranger.”
“When I asked her for an explanation, she turned and said: ‘The Olympics…where is the fairness, the equity?’
Amer leaps into the air with his weapon at the ready, celebrating his narrow victory.
The 30-year-old Bazadze slammed the umpire and also said: “My career is over, it’s over.”
“I went to the Olympics in the worst shape of my life,” the 30-year-old Bazadze concluded.
“I don’t know, but I can’t just let it go like this. I swear to my boys, I’ll do something.”