Japan had a good start to the 33rd Olympiad, as on Day 1, women’s judoka Natsumi Tsunoda secured Japan’s first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics. She defeated Mongolian world champion Baasankhuu Bavuudorj in the women’s 48-kilogram judo final. However, the 60kg men’s category judo event concluded rather on a rough note, when Ryuju Nagayama’s Olympic debut on July 27 ended with a bang, but not without a cloud of controversy!

In the initial part of the men’s 60kg judo bronze medal match, Nagayama turned on the charm with a stellar performance. Nagayama advanced past the second round after a golden score overtime victory against a Brazilian opponent, aided by a foul from his rival. However, the controversy erupted in the quarter-finals when Nagayama lost to Spain’s Francisco Garrigos via a single-hand choke, raising questions and sparking debate about the match’s outcome in the Paris Olympics.

Nagayama faced a tough defeat in the quarterfinals against last year’s World Championship gold medalist, Francisco Garrigos who clinched victory with a chokehold. Two minutes into their match, Garrigos tried to pin Nagayama down for what seemed like an eternity, but Nagayama cleverly kept his footing, leading the referee to call for a “wait.”

Despite this, Garrigos stubbornly clung to his hold for a while, and when the fighters were separated, the referee declared Garrigos the winner. But, Nagayama, clearly was dissatisfied with the outcome.

The All Japan Judo Federation’s Head of Training, Konno Jun, was up in arms over the ruling, arguing that Garrigos’ chokehold continued long after the “wait” was called, which he deemed a breach of protocol. Konno and Coach Suzuki Keiji reviewed the footage with an International Judo Federation representative, but the decision held firm, with Coach Suzuki commenting that it “was not overturned.”

After the match, Konno voiced concerns about the fairness of the ruling, questioning whether the prolonged chokehold was acceptable. This controversy has set fans ablaze on X, who are railing against the decision and demanding justice in the Paris Olympic match.

What fans are saying about recent judging errors in the Paris Olympics

Among the sea of comments blaming the referee for the controversial judo match at the Paris Olympics, a few voices stood out. One fan added, ” There’s no way it’s okay to do something like this. The moment the referee asked to wait, it was a foul.” In judo, when a referee calls “matte,” they pause the match to address issues such as injuries, rule infractions, technical problems, or scoring discrepancies. This interruption allows the referee to ensure athlete safety, correct any errors, and maintain fair play. but in this case, this was not followed!

Another added, “Is anything possible? This was clearly a wrong refereeing error, but will the Olympics tolerate this?” If an athlete continues to apply a chokehold after the referee has called “matte” (stop), it violates Rule 6.4 of the IJF (International Judo Federation) rules, which mandates that athletes must immediately cease any actions when the referee intervenes. Continuing an illegal chokehold after a “matte” call can lead to serious consequences for the athlete, including disqualification or penalties.

One more added, “Congratulations to Nagayama on his bronze medal! If it weren’t for the umpire’s error, he would have won gold.” Well, it seems he did secure a bronze medal, but given his impressive achievements, he certainly deserved more in the Paris Olympics. At 28, the Japanese judoka clinched bronze at the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo. His accolades include winning the World Junior Championship in 2015 at U60kg, the World Cadet Championship in 2011 at U50kg, and multiple Grand Slam victories in Japan in 2016, 2018, and 2023.

Additionally, he secured gold at the IJF Masters in 2017, 2019, and 2023, with a silver in 2022. Nagayama has also dominated the IJF Tour in Düsseldorf, winning four times, and achieved Grand Slam victories in Paris and Ulaanbaatar in 2020 and 2022, with another win in Ulaanbaatar in 2023. He was crowned Asian Champion in 2022.

One more added, ‘This should never be allowed. Ignoring the referee’s “mate” is simply a foul.‘ Another commented, ‘It was a disappointing match.’ Given these reactions, it will be intriguing to see if any further actions will be taken and what developments will unfold as the Paris Olympics continue.