Fans and hackers react to controversial Rio weightlifting decision that required the intervention of local riot police

Aug 18, 2016 14:26 GMT  ·  By

Iranian hackers defaced the website of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) overnight, following a controversial decision that saw Iranian weightlifter Behdad Salimikordasiabi lose chances of an Olympic medal and crash out of the competition.

Salimikordasiabi, a star sports figure in his country, was one of Iran's highest-rated athletes with a big chance of winning a gold medal at this year's Olympic Games, currently underway in Rio de Janeiro.

The controversy

Entering the final for the +105 kg weight category as a favorite, the weightlifter broke a world record on his first try, with a 216 kg snatch lift. In the second try, Salimikordasiabi lifted 245 kg.

The three judges approved the lift but were overruled by game referees, who said that one of his arms wasn't straight enough. During his third attempt, which all weightlifters are allowed, Salimikordasiabi, tired from his previous efforts, wasn't able to complete the lift and broke down in tears.

After winning the gold at the London Olympic Games, in 2012, and breaking a world record minutes before, Salimikordasiabi was a clear-cut favorite before his second attempt, leading the rankings by 1 kg.

A scandal immediately erupted at the arena, as fans and the Iranian delegation stormed the judges' table. Athletes and coaches are not allowed to approach the judges' table to contest decisions.

Brazilian police riot forces were called in to quiet down spirits, surrounding the arena so Iranian fans couldn't charge the judges or Georgian supporters of Lasha Talakhadze, the gold medal winner.

Iranian hacker defaces IWF website

Following the incident, the reaction from Iran's sports fans was exactly what you'd expect. People flooded the IWF's Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with hundreds of thousands of hateful comments, calling the decision a "theft."

Twitter and Facebook are banned in Iran, but Instagram is not, so most of the vitriol landed on IWF's Instagram account. There are currently over 1 million comments on two photos from the +105 kg final.

After the competition ended, an Iranian hacker going by the name of Master of Pain defaced the IWF website.

The hacker replaced the IWF homepage with a picture of the weightlifter in tears, and the message: "Keep your head up Behdad! God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldier."

At the time of writing, the IWF website is down for maintenance. A video of Salimikordasiabi crying went viral on YouTube, but the International Olympic Committee stepped in and had it taken down on the grounds of copyright infringement. Pictures from the event are available via Reuters.

Iranian authorities say they will send a letter of complaint to the IWF following their controversial decision, but what's done is done, and Salimikordasiabi has already lost the medal. The incident was made worse because the athletes who ended up winning the gold and silver medalists had returned from doping suspensions while Salimikordasiabi has never tested positive.

UPDATE [August 21, 2016]: The IWF has published the following statement on its website:

  The International Weightlifting Federation’s website was down for a couple of days after being hacked by Iranian fans. Due to the persisting attacks, we are unable to guarantee the origin and authenticity of some of the content being posted.We kindly ask your patience until a solution is found.  

 
IWF website, down at the time of writing
IWF website, down at the time of writing

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Behdad Salimikordasiabi
IWF website, down at the time of writing
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