The father and coach of an eight-year-old Taekwondo star has faced backlash after punching his child in the face as she lost in the final of the European Championships.
Valina Fetiou was representing Kosovo at the European Children’s Taekwondo Championship in Tirana, Albania, when the shocking incident occurred, local media reported.
Her opponent in the girls aged six to eight, Serbian athlete Nina Savic, claimed the gold medal in the competition.
After the match, Valina can be seen walking towards her father, who then violently pulls her towards him by her headguard before ripping it off her.
The little girl then falls to the ground before the carriage drags her back up and hits her in the face, causing the child’s head to spin from the impact.
Valina Fetiou was representing Kosovo at the European Children’s Taekwondo Championship in Tirana when the incident occurred, local media report
The little girl collapsed to the ground before the coach dragged her back up and punched her in the face, shocking video footage showed
A shocked Taekwondo referee who witnessed the blow then intervenes, the footage shows, and tells the man to stop.
As Mr Fetiou forcefully removes his daughter’s uniform, the referee puts his arm between them, which the coach refuses.
The pair appear to argue before the referee walks away, only for Valina to be walked out of the arena by another referee.
The father sparked further condemnation after claiming he threw the punch ‘just to calm the athlete down’, according to reports.
Mr Fetiou was given a six-month reprimand for all international and domestic activities by the European Taekwondo Federation.
The sports organization says it made the decision because of the coach’s ‘physically aggressive’ behavior.