Games - Two Brazilian judo directors banned after brawl
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Two Brazilian judo directors have been kicked out of the Panamerican Games for their part in a brawl following a match, the local organising committee said on Monday.
The Brazilian Olympic Committee added that the pair, Francisco Neto and Eduardo Costa, would be banned from all official events for the next four years, including the 2011 Panam Games in Guadalajara.
Trouble erupted after Cuba's Sheila Espinosa beat Brazilian Erika Miranda to win the gold medal in the women's 52 kilo category on Sunday.
Members of both delegations became involved in a fight along with a television crew, while spectators threw cups of water and plastic seats into the arena.
"The committee repudiates any and every incident which breaks the atmosphere of fraternity between the peoples, which is one of the pillars of the Panamerican Games," the organising committee said in a statement.
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
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