Olympic star was handed lifetime ban for truly shocking incident involving referee

An Olympic star was handed a lifetime ban for a truly shocking incident involving a referee in 2008.

Beijing, China, hosted the Summer Games in 2008, with the likes of Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and the US basketball team, which included LeBron James and the late Kobe Bryant, all winning gold.

But former taekwondo athlete Angel Matos, who won an Olympic gold in Sydney, was denied a medal in Beijing following one of the most controversial moments in Olympic history.

Matos, representing Cuba, beat Italy's Leonardo Basile, then beat China's Liu Xiaobo 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

However, he lost to South Korea's Cha Dong-min in the semi-finals to land in the bronze medal match, where he faced Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov

Matos' bout against Chilmanov descended into chaos following the conclusion of their clash.

The Cuban was winning 3-2, with one minute and two seconds left in the second round.

But he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent. He sat there, awaiting medical attention.

Referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, though, disqualified Matos for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.

Matos questioned Chelbat's call, pushed a judge, then kicked the referee, who required stitches in his lip. The disgraced fighter spat on the floor and was escorted out.

As a result, Matos and his coach Leudis Gonzalez were handed a lifetime ban. Gonzalez offered no apology for Matos' actions during the men's over-80kg match.

World Taekwondo Federation secretary Yang Jin-suk said: "We didn't expect anything like what you have witnessed to occur. I am at a loss for words.

"This is an insult to the Olympic vision, an insult to the spirit of taekwondo and, in my opinion, an insult to mankind," Yang added

On the bout, Chilmanov said: "To me it was obvious he was unable to continue. His toe on his left foot was broken. Rules are rules. I'm happy with my medal."