The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has slammed "very abusive and ridiculous" social media comments following the decision to strip Malaysian shot putter Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli of his Paralympic Games gold medal at Tokyo 2020.
Ziyad clinched the men’s shot put F20 title with a world record throw of 17.94 metres only for the result to be scrubbed off for arriving late to the call room following a protest by Ukraine.
Ukrainian shot putter Maksym Koval was then awarded the gold medal, sparking an outcry on social media.
Malaysian Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was among those to vent their dismay online, describing the decision as "shameful".
"An absolute disgrace that goes against the spirit of the Paralympics," wrote Jamaluddin in a post on Twitter.
"If it was a call room violation you should have not allowed them to compete in the first place.
"Mean spirited and petty.
"A stolen gold medal and world record."
Craig Spence, spokesperson for the IPC, said the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Ukraine was "deeply upset" after receiving "a lot of abuse" online.
This is a shameful decision. An absolute disgrace that goes against the spirit of the Paralympics. If it was a call room violation you should have not allowed them to compete in the first place. Mean spirited and petty. A stolen gold medal and world record.
— Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) August 31, 2021
"Since last night, there has been a massive outpouring of emotion from many Malaysians on social...
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