Russian wrestling chief sorry over female athlete attack

The president of Russia's wrestling federation on Wednesday apologised for hitting Olympic wrestler Inna Trazhukova in the face after she missed out on a medal in Rio. "I find it necessary... to offer Inna my apologies," Mikhail Mamiashvili said in a statement by the Russian wrestling federation. "The incident in Rio was caused by the tremendous stress and nervousness that accompany significant events like the Olympic Games and the responsibility that was on the team to achieve results." Trazhukova, 25, told Sport Express newspaper earlier this month that Mamiashvili struck her twice in the face in front of her teammates and foreign Olympic delegations after she lost her bronze medal bout to Poland's Monika Ewa Michalik in Brazil. She has already appealed to Russia's prosecutor general to probe the assault and her lawyer told AFP this week he was set to send an appeal to the Russian sports minister calling for the protection of athletes' rights. Trazhukova told Sport Express newspaper on Wednesday that she had accepted Mamiashvili's apology but did not say whether she would pursue further legal action against him. "I will rest and then keep training," Sport Express quoted her as saying. The incident sparked a wave of indignation in Russian sports circles but many remain convinced that Mamiashvili -- an establishment sports official with long-standing ties to the Kremlin -- will emerge unscathed.