On Friday, April 28, news emerged that Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB) 59 had been cancelled after the majority of the local talent refused to compete on the show. Instead, the event, which was scheduled to take place in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, became the medium for a geopolitical tinderbox between neighbouring North Caucasus republics.
Tensions rose after ACB owner Mairbek Khasiev allegedly made disparaging comments about Ossetia’s tense history with Muslim republics like Ingushetia, which shares a border with Chechnya. The comments, which were taken to be hate speech by many, raised concerns among the local Ossetian talent featured on the show, all of whom were insulted by their new employer’s viewpoint on their history and people. According to reports, the Ossetian fighters drove to Grozny and met with Khasiev, who attempted to defuse tension. However, once it became evident that Khasiev had no intention of posting a public apology for his insults, the Ossetians refused to compete on ACB 59.
The news was first made public by OnKavKaz.com last week, though the initial report did not allude to the exact nature of the comments made by Khasiev. It was only when Ossetian-Uzbek-Russian wrestler Artur Taymazov, renowned as one of the most decorated freestyle wrestlers from the post-Soviet states, publicly condemned Khasiev’s statements and demanded a public apology on behalf of his native people, that the news began to spread to mainstream outlets.
Taymazov, who was elected to the 7th State Duma (lower parliament) of the Russian Federation representing United Russia, even went so far as to suggest that Khasiev’s comments directed at Ossetians could contribute to rising “ethnic tensions” in the region.
“First of all, I want to ask Mairbek Khasiev, on what basis does he make his statements about my people?” Taymazov said in a Facebook post. “I believe any statements that denigrate anyone on the basis of nationality is completely inadmissible in the public space. Mairbek Khasiev has to understand the degree of responsibility for his words. Can stick to any desired views, but it needs to be weighed. I think that Mairbek Khasiev should apologize. In addition, no lesser responsibility borne by those who are hiding under different nicknames, as they provoke such statements.
“Any actions contribute to increasing ethnic tensions in the North Caucasus, should be firmly rejected.”
Naturally, Taymazov’s public condemnation gained traction until the news made headlines across Russian media. According to recent reports, Khasiev referred to North Ossetians as “Iranian Jews” who live in their “dream world” with a fabricated history. Screenshots of the ACB owner’s Instagram comments began to make the rounds, which placed the promotion in an even more precarious situation.
According to the reports, Khasiev’s comments were in response to internet trolls who took aim at an Instagram post where the Chechen native posed for a picture with ACB 59 headliner Ibragim Tibilov.