The three-time Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling passed away in one of Moscow’s hospitals. According to the Baza Telegram channel, Saitiev was hospitalized from his home with suspected poisoning. Mash reports that he suffered from a lung disease.
It is reported that he felt unwell in the courtyard of his own home. The first to come to his aid was a local janitor, followed by a concierge who called an ambulance. However, the athlete passed away a few hours after being hospitalized.
Mash notes that the cause of death could have been cardiac arrest due to intoxication.
"I got a call ten minutes ago and was informed about this tragedy. I can’t believe it. We were supposed to fly together tomorrow," said the president of the Russian Wrestling Federation, Mikhail Mamiashvili, in a comment to TASS.
Buvaisar Saitiev won Olympic gold in 1996, 2004, and 2008, becoming one of the most outstanding figures in the history of freestyle wrestling.
In recent years, he served as a deputy in the Russian State Duma.
We express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.