The father and coach of an eight-year-old Taekwondo star has received backlash after slapping his child across the face when she lost in the final of the European Championships.
Valina Fetiou had been representing Kosovo in the European Children’s Taekwondo Championship in Tirana when the shocking incident happened, local media reports.
Her opponent in the girls aged six to eight category, Serbian athlete Nina Savic, claimed the gold medal in the contest.
Following the match, video shows Valina walking over to her father, who then violently pulls her towards him by her headguard before tearing it off her.
The little girl then collapses to the floor before the coach drags her back up and hits her in the face, with the child’s head seen swivelling from the impact.
A shocked Taekwondo referee who witnessed the slap then intervenes, footage shows, seemingly telling the man to stop.
As Mr Fetiou continues to forcefully pull off his daughter’s kit, the official puts his arm in between them, which the coach bats off.
The pair appear to argue before the referee walks away, with Valina then walked out of the arena by another official.
The father sparked further condemnation after claiming that he gave the slap ‘only to calm the athlete’, according to reports.
Mr Fetiou was reprimanded with a six-month suspension from all international and domestic activities by the European Taekwondo Federation.
The sporting body said it made the decision because of the ‘physically aggressive’ behaviour displayed by the coach.