The organizing committee of the Mediterranean Games decided to strip Egyptian wrestler Mohamed al-Kassem of his silver medal after he assaulted a Croatian opponent before the end of their match, RT reported on Sunday.
The 20th edition of the Mediterranean Games is currently being held in Taranto, Italy, and will continue until September 3rd, with 3,803 athletes from 26 countries participating.
The committee’s decision came after the Egyptian wrestler headbutted his Croatian opponent during the match, an act that led to the match being nullified and Kassem being stripped of his silver medal.
Kassem now faces a suspension and the potential nullification of his results in the tournament due to this incident.
Kassem had a strong run in the 87 kg weight class, qualifying for the final after defeating the Turkish champion by technical superiority in the semi-final.
However, he lost the final match in the 87 kg weight class at the 2026 Mediterranean Games to the Croatian champion by a score of 1-5.
