Athletes can do this, but they should be aware that such actions will have consequences.
The most recent example I know of is Ara Abrahamian, an Armenian wrestler who represented Sweden. A three-time Olympian, he competed in 2000, 2004 and 2008, and he won medals in 2004 (silver) and 2008 (bronze). His 2008 appearance is what he will always be remembered for.
In the 2008 semifinal match in the 84kg weight class of the Greco-Roman wrestling program, he ended up losing to Andrea Minguzzi of Italy due to a series of controversial points decisions made by the judges. Making the situation worse, the officials refused to use the video review or consider the Swedish team’s protest. Abrahamian and his coach, Leo Mylläri, accused the judges of corruption. Abrahamian got so upset that he had to be physically restrained.
**For additional context, it’s worth mentioning that Abrahamian’s 2004 championship match also ended with some controversy. He lost a tough final match to Russian athlete Alexei Michine. It was later revealed that the Russian team had cheated. Their team leader, Mikhail Mamiashvili, sent signs to the Romanian referee, who had accepted bribes.**
Back to 2008. Abrahamian won the bronze medal match, but when it was time for the medal ceremony, he was angry and frustrated with the Olympic experience. As a result of two heartbreaking and unfair losses in 2004 and 2008 Olympic medal matches, he was done. After accepting his medal, he walked off the podium, placed his bronze medal on the middle of the wrestling mat, and exited the ceremony.
The International Olympic Committee held a hearing regarding the matter. They decided to disqualify Abrahamian from the 2008 Olympics, thus formally stripping him of his bronze medal. They also banned him from the sport for life. He didn’t care. He didn’t want the medal and he had already announced that he was quitting the sport.
They later reversed their decision on the lifetime ban. Abrahamian still didn’t care. When he said he was done with the sport, he meant it. He never wrestled again.
There was one other example I know of in which athletes refused a medal: the 1972 US Men’s basketball team. This was also due to extremely poor officiating in their championship game against the Soviet Union. In short, the Soviets were given multiple clock resets to have repeated attempts at a game-winning shot. When they finally hit a game-winner, the game ended.
In this situation, the American athletes were not banned from the sport or disqualified. Their medals are stored in a Swiss vault, presumably waiting to be picked up. I don’t think a refusal like the 1972 basketball team could happen nowadays. If they did that now, they would be heavily penalized, even given the unfair circumstances.
If an athlete in the modern era were to refuse a medal, the result would be consequences similar to what happened to Ara Abrahamian. There would be disqualifications and suspensions or bans. There would be a loss of sponsorship and potential fines. There could even be punishments on coaches, teams, committees and federations.
The IOC is big on the “spirit of the Olympics,” which means sportsmanship even under the worst circumstances. Thus athletes are expected to accept all wins and losses. Athletes are expected to be grateful for medals and to always appear happy with the outcomes. They must also speak favorably about the Olympic experience in media appearances.
I’m sure that there have been many athletes through the years who have wanted to refuse their medals, speak ill of the IOC, and make a scene after an unfair loss. However, if there is any concern that an athlete is even considering refusing a medal or making some other form of protest. their coaches, teammates, team support staff, and perhaps even Olympic committee members will intervene and try their hardest to persuade the athlete to reconsider. The consequences are too great for the athlete and everyone associated with them, so it’s important that they not make any rash decisions that they will regret. Ara Abrahamian was a bit different because he was already done with the sport and his coach and team supported his decision. However, if anyone else were in that same position, they would be instructed to accept the medal and just move on.
To summarize, athletes can refuse Olympic medals. However, while there were no consequences for this action in the past, there would be harsh penalties for it now, some of which could reach far beyond the refusing athletes. In short, it wouldn’t be worth it.
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