At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Cuban Taekwondo athlete Angel Matos fell to the mat

Question

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Cuban Taekwondo athlete Angel Matos fell to the mat, after being hit by his opponent. He became incensed at the referee, who disqualified him for exceeding the one-minute time-out allowed for an injury. Matos angrily disputed the call, physically pushing a judge and then pushing and kicking the referee in the face. He spat on the mat and was escorted out by officials. The World Taekwondo Federation immediately banned Matos for life, and the IOC took away his bronze medal.

This is a two part question:

a. What is it about the fundamental nature and structure of the Olympics that helps explain why this situation occurred?

b. This example contains evidence of both hostile aggression and instrumental aggression. Which part of the example involves hostile aggression, and which part of the example involves instrumental aggression? Explain your reasoning.

Explanation / Answer

A. The Olympics is among the most prestigious platforms wherein competitive sports take place, with millions of spectators across the world. Individuals who participate do so as representatives of their country, thereby increasing their internal and external pressure to perform. Given this situation where there are extremely high stakes on the shoulder of a single individual, it is probable that any loss experienced in a game will not be taken lightly y the individual himself/herself.

B. Matos physically assaulting the referee by kicking him in the face is an act of hostile aggression as it is unplanned and impulsive, occurring in reaction to the referee disqualifying him. Matos act of disputing the call and pushing the judge is an act of instrumental aggression as well because this aggression is carried out with the ultimate aim of reversing the disqualification decision.

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