Wrestler Frank Chamizo Says He Refused $300K Bribe to Lose Olympic Qualifying Match

Wrestler Frank Chamizo said he was offered a bribe of $300,000 to lose his semifinal match against Turan Bayramov at the European wrestling Olympic qualification tournament.

The Associated Press noted Thursday that Chamizo, who competes for Italy, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica as much when discussing his match in Baku, Azerbaijan, against Bayramov, who is an Azerbaijani freestyle wrestler.

"I knew that I had to give double, triple in Azerbaijan, because I was fighting in their country and they had bought everyone," Chamizo said. "I did it but then something happened that has echoes of wrestling many years ago.

"So I want to say it, they came to me and offered me $300,000 to lose. I don't want to say who but it happened on the morning of the weigh-in."

Chamizo also said he refused the bribe "because I don't only represent myself, but also Italy … it's not easy to break my integrity."

It seemed like Chamizo did enough to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris when he scored two points that would have won him the match when it was tied at eight. However, Bayramov's coach challenged the ruling and won, which took away Chamizo's temporary victory.

He will have another opportunity to qualify for the Games at the world qualification tournament in Turkey in May, and he said he isn't concerned with any repercussions from his comments.

"Am I worried about paying for these comments there? I come from Cuba, I'm not scared of anything," Chamizo said. "Now I am in a free country, I can say what I think and what I want. No one will stop me."

The decorated wrestler is originally from Cuba but moved to Italy in 2011 and now competes for the latter country. His resume includes a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics, gold medals at the 2015 and 2017 world championships, a silver medal at the 2019 world championships, a bronze medal at the 2010 world championships, and four European championships.

He also had an opportunity at a medal during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as the No. 1-ranked grappler, but he lost the bronze-medal match to American Kyle Dake.

Chamizo turns 32 years old in July, so there is surely some urgency to make a third Olympics at this stage of his career as he turns his attention toward the qualifying opportunity in Turkey.