The International Judo Federation recognized the injustice against the Russian Tasoev

The World Judo Championship ended in Doha on May 14. Russian judokas competed as neutral athletes only in individual competitions. The first days of the World Championship were difficult for our team, no medals were given. As the head coach of the Russian national team Arsen Galstyan admitted, the lack of awards weighed heavily, and judokas had to be additionally set up, “so that they pull themselves together and go to fight for gold.” And our team nevertheless made themselves and the fans happy with a victory, and what a victory: Arman Adamyan became the strongest in the 100 kg category!

And on May 13, there was that very scandalous final in the weight category over 100 kg of the World Championship in Doha, as it is now officially recognized (and no longer by us, eager to side with the domestic athlete). Inal Tasoev, winner of two world championships in the team, champion of Europe 2021, met with multiple Olympic champion Teddy Riner from France. The fight went to extra time, which lasts until the first point scored. It is no coincidence that it is called golden.

For three minutes, the opponents could not achieve the end of the final. On the fourth, Tasoev caught Riner on the counterattack and rolled him across the tatami. He threw up his hands in triumph and let out a champion’s cry. But – the judges left the action without evaluation. And then Riner already received a long-awaited assessment for his throw. So the fate of the gold medal was decided.

Doubts about the judge’s view of the events arose immediately. Some experts commented: Inal made a decisive move, everyone saw how Riner touched the tatami with his hand, which automatically leads to defeat. Others have speculated that perhaps it’s because of the new rules that were adopted in 2020: the movement counts if the counterattack was initiated in advance.

The President of the Russian Judo Federation Sergey Soloveichik said after the final that reaching the final of the World Championship is already a very serious result, and leaving Riner is doubly serious. At the same time, he emphasized: today only two athletes in the world can withstand the giant tatami, and both of them are from Russia. Tamerlan Bashaev, who defeated the eminent Frenchman at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, and Inal Tasoev. “We don’t comment on the decision of the judges – they are always right, but we saw the throw, which means that Riner fell, and fell as it should.”

And Tasoev himself… This, of course, probably has not been experienced yet. But immediately after the final, the judoist reacted to the result rather restrainedly. He said that when he left his opponent, but did not receive an assessment, he thought only one thing: it was a mistake.

A mistake, the price of which is a gold medal. And now the judges have commented on their own decision: the refereeing commission of the International Judo Federation “made a deep apology”, recognizing that Inal Tasoev’s throw in the final fight of the World Championship could be counted. This information appeared on the official website of the International Federation.

And translated into the language of a non-official document, this means that Tasoev should have won on the tatami immediately after the throw. Automatically. After all, it was not just about the fact that he received or did not receive a mark for the action during the fight, but about the golden point. If the judges had counted the counterattack, the fight would have ended.

The statement says that in the final match of the +100 kg category of the 2023 World Judo Championship between athletes Teddy Riner and Inal Tasoev, an episode occurred that both the referee on the carpet and the IJF judging panel left without evaluation. Riner’s attack was blocked and then parried by Tasoev, but the judges decided to continue the fight without awarding points.

“After the competition, taking into account the current judging rules and the opinion of judo experts, we come to the conclusion that points for Tasoev’s counterattack could have been awarded.” The IJF Referee Commission deeply apologizes for its decision and states that “such actions will be judged in the future in accordance with current judo rules.”

Revenge?

“I don’t like second place, I don’t like everything about second place.” These words of Inal Tasoev, nevertheless, gave out all the emotions of the athlete, who at that time had no idea about the judge’s apology, brighter than bright. After the end of the World Championships, Inal said that he needed two days to fly home and start training, eradicating mistakes. And he said: “Revenge? Of course it will be”.

And, of course, it is very interesting how the great Teddy Riner will behave now? He is the most titled judoka in the world, a three-time Olympic champion (twice – personally, once – in a team), after Doha 2023 – an eleven-time world champion in individual competitions. Fair play in sports has not been canceled, and a fair gesture in relation to the robbed (why not be foolish – you don’t even have to choose words here) to an opponent can become another decoration of a great career.

True, there is a factor that can stop Riner. And he is in a situation where discrimination in sports today affects not only our athletes, but also anyone who shows a friendly attitude towards Russia. Riner, if he admits that the Doha-2023 gold should belong to Inal Tasoev, it will be very hard. It is well known how they treat athletes now who allow themselves to say something worthy about the Russians. As well as what the foreigners and their relatives who have remained in our teams have to experience.

It seems that we are already starting to get used to everything, but on the second day, for example, the story of the Polish volleyball player Malvina Smarzhek, who played for the Kaliningrad Lokomotiv, and is now treating depression, does not go out of her head. Returning to Poland, she was afraid to leave the house, because on the street they could push her or spit at her, she hid in Brazil. This is if in a laconic retelling.

But let’s get back to the word “revenge”, which comes out in the history of judoists in the first place. Not revenge in itself – specifically two athletes, but in general its possibility. Can it happen?

The International Judo Federation, unlike other sports, allowed our athletes to compete in reality, and not on paper, for which we are very grateful. By the way, the judges could not admit their mistake, after all, you see, this happens at the starts all the time.

IJF President Marius Vizer said after Doha that the federation was happy to welcome all countries without discrimination. And the past days have shown: “sport and judo can become a bridge between peoples, a bridge of unity, peace and friendship throughout the world.”

The participation of our athletes in the World Championship today is a breakthrough. Alas, the obvious has to be won back, but this is far from being possible everywhere. And the breakthrough is also not in itself, but in that very Olympic selection. In judo, selection for the Olympic Games does not take place in one year, there are many tournaments. But due to a temporary suspension, which was interrupted just by the World Cup in Doha, there was only one opportunity to participate in the qualifying start: last year they performed in Ulaanbaatar.

IJF admitted Russia to the World Cup. And after her, the European Judo Union supported the decision to return our athletes to tournaments in a neutral status. The EJU said in a statement that athletes from Russia and Belarus still have a chance of qualifying for the Olympics. And that means – and on the same revenge. For all our athletes. Everyone will have their own. The main thing is to have this opportunity, so that the judokas “went to fight for gold”.

… And the new duel between the Russian and the Frenchman will be revenge in any case. And even if the great Teddy Riner dares to give his (and now not his) gold medal to Inal Tasoev, a neutral judoka, but from Russia.