THE SIDELINES : Soviet Weightlifter Seeks Asylum
From Times Wire Services
ANKARA, Turkey — A Soviet weightlifter who won the featherweight division in the world championships in Athens went to the Turkish Embassy there and asked for asylum, the Foreign Ministry said today.
The 125-pound weightlifter, Hafiz Suleymanov, performed last week, but ministry spokesman Ferhat Ataman would not say when the defection took place.
Government officials said a charter plane will be sent to Athens to bring Suleymanov, who is an ethnic Turk, to Turkey.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
