Media interest and judo fans' attention are drawn mostly to the Uchimata vs Utimata-sukashi dispute.
I can understand why opinions vary about it.
People watched the scene from different angles. Some had seen Uchimata-sukashi before. Others had not.

But, if you look at this scene only, and not at the whole match, you can't see what lies at the root of this controversy.
A grave problem had emerged on the iternational judo scene more than a decade ago, even before the Olympics in Seoul, and remained unresolved under the IJF's negligence (and Zen-Nihon Judo Renmei had been lenient about it).
So, whathappened this time is just an eruption of this old problem which took a most shocking form, and should be dealt with as such.

This said, I'd like to begin with what I think of the Uchimata vs Ucnimata-sukasi action.


"The Crucial scene--It was Ippon for Shinohara"

My conclusion is that it was Ippon for Shinohara with Uchimata- sukashi.
It was Douillet that attacked first with Uchimata, but he didn't succeed. Shinohara counter-attacked with Uchimata-sukashi. First he dodged Douillet's attacking right leg by raising his left leg high.


Click on this picture.
This picture shows what happened a moment later. Shinohara's hands are controlling Douillet's body. Douillet has no control whatever.

His body is upside down in midair.
Neither of his hands is gripping Shinohara's body. His left hand is useless because Shinohara's right hand is screwing up his left sleeve; his right hand is off from Shinohara's belt it was holding a moment earlier.

In other words, Douillet was in a state we call "Shini-tai"("dead" or totally incapable position).



Please mark Shinohara's feet also.

When you saw the match, it might have appeared the two men fell to the mat at the same moment.
But this picture shows Shinohara is still standing on his right leg while Douillet's body is being turned over.
Shinohara was able to throw Douillet with his hands because his right foot was still in firm contact with the mat. And finally it was Douillet who hit the mat first and who fell onto his back.

All this happened in an instant.
In judo, attack/counter-attack actions will happen in an instant. Judo referees are expected to discern such actions. I have to say that the referree was very unskilled.
He failed to read the flow of actions and give Ippon to Shinohara. Not only that. He gave Yuko to Douillet, who fell first and onto his back.

This call was nothing but a gross mistake.

My view is over in the scene.


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