Share

French pole vaulter in tears over booing

Cape Town - Olympics chief Thomas Bach has slammed the 'shocking' treatment dished out to French pole vault silver medallist Renaud Lavillenie by the Rio crowds.

Lavillenie was booed by a partisan home crowd during the pole vault final against local Brazilian favourite Thiago Braz da Silva on Tuesday.

Unbelievably, Lavillenie was booed again on the podium during the medal ceremony, despite Da Silva having already won the gold medal.

The 29-year-old Frenchman was visibly upset and in tears as he received his medal, and said afterwards he had "no words".

Bach said the crowd's behaviour was "unacceptable at the Olympics".

Lavillenie was later consoled by the Brazilian champion Da Silva, IAAF president Lord Coe and former Olympic and world pole vault champion Sergey Bubka.

"It's disgusting," said Lavillenie, "there is a total lack of fair play and I want to stress that the Brazilian is not involved at all."

Rio 2016 chief spokesman Mario Andrada said: "As citizens of Brazil and as sports fans, we don't think booing is the right attitude, even when you are in a one-to-one competition and a young Brazilian has the chance to beat the world champion.

"We plan to intensify our dialogue with Brazilian fans through social networks to make sure that we behave as fans in a proper and elegant manner, without losing the passion for sport."

This was far from the only incident involving booing inside the Olympic Stadium, with appeals for silence being made before each race on Tuesday.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE