BEIJING, China—Disputes dogged Friday’s Olympic boxing matches here, with the afternoon’s most memorable event involving Filipino referee Rogelio Fortaleza and French light welterweight Alexis Vastine.
The Frenchman lost 12-10 to the Dominican Republic’s Feliz Diaz but not before Fortaleza hit him with a two-point penalty for holding in the final seconds of the bout.
Vastine screamed when Fortaleza assessed him the points and then cried when the final buzzer sounded.
“I won the bout clearly but my victory was stolen by the referee,” he said.
Fortaleza could not be reached for an interview.
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Interviewed on the morning ABS-CBN program ‘Magandang Umaga Bayan,’ former senator and basketball Olympian Robert Jaworski called for a new direction in local sports and urged sports leaders to resign over the country’s miserable performance at the Beijing Olympics.
Jaworski did not mention any name.
Known as the Big J and Jawo during his heyday, Jaworski is the father-in-law of Mikee Cojuangco, the daughter of Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco.
Mikee capped a three-gold performance by the Philippines at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, winning equestrian’s jumping event on the last day of the quadrennial competition.
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Willy Wang’s gold medal victory in Friday’s taolu competition at the Olympic Sports Center touched off a memorable celebration among the very few Filipinos who cared for the sport of wushu here, according to a delegation official.
Among Wang’s well wishers were lawyer Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, the husband of President Macapagal-Arroyo and wushu’s wealthy patron Francis Chan.
It was not known whether Wang received assurance that he’d get part of the P15 million promised by the government and generous private sponsors to the first Filipino Olympic gold medalist.
Arroyo, the official said, promised to help raise a reward for taolu’s reigning world champion.
Wushu does not enjoy International Olympic Committee recognition as a regular Summer Games sport.
