MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/. Investigators believe that 20-year-old member of Russia’s national wrestling team, Yuri Vlasko, died of knife wounds he sustained in a brawl early on Saturday.
According to the Russian Investigative Committee’s department in the Siberian Republic of Buryatia, five athletes taking part in an international competition in Ulan-Ude were invited by a local wrestler to take a car trip to Siberia's world-famous Lake Baikal.
"They stopped on the shore near the village of Goryachinsk. They did not take alcohol during their recreation trip. At night, a conflict broke out between the young athlete who organized the trip and unidentified individuals who were either locals or tourists. The conflict evolved in a brawl, during which one athlete was stabbed with a knife," the statement reads.
The man died of his injuries on site. The attackers fled the scene.
According to earlier reports, the body of a 20-year-old man with stab wounds was found early on Saturday on the shore of Lake Baikal near the village of Goryachinsk. The local Investigative Committee department did not disclose the victim’s name, but a police source earlier told TASS that it was Yuri Vlasko.
An investigation into the case is under way. Investigators currently interview eyewitnesses and analyze information obtained from them.
Vlasko is the two-time winner of the European Junior Wrestling Championships.