Georgian fencer Sandro Bazadze screamed at judges after being eliminated in Paris [Video]

Georgian world number one Sandro Bazadze has lashed out at the Paris Olympics judges after being eliminated in the round of 16 of the men’s sabre event on Saturday: “They’ve killed me for the second time.”

The Grand Palais, home of fencing at the Parisian jousting events, has hosted many exhibitions since its creation in 1900, and the imposing Bazadze provided one of the most memorable.

The Georgian, who turns 31 on Monday, refused to leave the court and shouted at Spanish referee Vanesa Chichón after she called on video to rule that Egyptian Mohamed Amer had scored the winning touch at 15-14.

The two-time European champion continued to shout at him afterwards, but Chichón ignored him and walked off the court at the Grand Palais in central Paris.

“The judges, like in Tokyo, killed me for the second time,” Bazadze told reporters shortly before leaving the arena, referring to his semi-final loss to three-time Olympic champion Aron Szilagyi in 2021.

“In Tokyo they destroyed my life, they almost ended my career,” he said. “I came back and became number one in the world, I prepared for the Olympics, but she killed me.”

Bazadze gave a performance in the French capital. The audience booed him, but he seemed oblivious as he spread his arms out in vain to plead with other officials.

In the end, he left the Grand Palais without giving up his complaints, based on the fact that, in his opinion, the use of video was not usual at the Olympics.

“My career is over, it’s finished,” he said. “How can I come back when referees kill me all the time?”

His attempts to hang up his sabre coincided with promises not to let the matter of the alleged refereeing error die.

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