Russian men cut off own ears after arm wrestling match The bizarre incident came to light after hospital staff alerted police when two patients showed up at a hospital in the Gurev district of the Kemerovo region, 1,800 miles east of Moscow, on Tuesday suffering from wounds normally associated with Vincent Van Gogh. "According to the agreed rules of the drunken contest, the loser had to cut off his ear," police said in statement released on Friday after interviewing both men. The loser of the first round challenged the result and demanded a rematch, which he won. After arguing about the result - the winner of the first round insisted he was the "official" winner, the two decided to call it a draw. But agreeing that the rules of the competition must nonetheless be respected, they each promptly took a blade to their respective left ears - one severing his completely, the other only partially. Officers are currently conducting inquiries before deciding whether to open a criminal case. It is not clear whether surgeons managed to save either man's ear.