When judokas step onto the tatami at the 2024 Olympics, they no longer care about recognized authorities or friendly relations with other athletes. Only with sporting anger and impudence can they fight for medals at the Games. At the same time, there must be respect for the opponent. This is especially evident in judo, where refusing to shake hands with an opponent after a fight is a very shameful act.

However, not all athletes manage to control their emotions and follow basic rules. For example, in Paris, at the Olympic tournament, a Georgian athlete attacked a world judo legend after a defeat.

The hot-tempered Olympian was immediately punished!

A vile act

Teddy Riner is as respected by judo fans as Muhammad Ali is by boxing fans. The 204cm tall French giant is a three-time Olympic champion (2012, 2016, 2020) and 12-time world champion. Riner also literally destroyed the heavyweight division for nine years, with a phenomenal 154-fight winning streak!

Needless to say, Teddy Bear is wildly popular in his home country. He was named Sportsman of the Year in France three times (2012, 2016, 2017), and this was at a time when Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann, N’Golo Kante and other compatriots of Riner were lighting up Europe.

It is no surprise that during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics, the judoka was the participant of the most touching moment: the flame was passed to him by three-time Olympic champion cyclist Charles Coste, who turned 100 in February.

Teddy Riner / Photo: © Jan Woitas – PA Images / Contributor / PA Images / Gettyimages.ru

And in Paris, everyone was expecting Riner to win his fourth gold at the Games. Especially since the 35-year-old Frenchman had to compete in front of his home crowd. The enormous support of his compatriots and his skill helped Teddy reach the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics, where he met with Georgian judoka Guram Tushishvili, who won silver at the Tokyo Olympics.

At the previous Games, Riner lost to Russian Tamerlan Bashaev at this stage, and at the 2023 World Championships, he lost to another of our compatriots, Inal Tasoev (although after a controversial final, both athletes received gold), so the Frenchman was not the absolute favorite. And his age – Riner is six years older than the Georgian.

However, Teddy immediately began to press, quickly caught his opponent and earned ippon, which guaranteed the French representative an automatic victory. During the triumphant throw, the stands exploded and began loudly celebrating the legend’s entry into the semifinals. However, the joy of the spectators quickly turned to bewilderment.

After the defeat, Guram continued the fight, grabbed his opponent by the leg and threw him down on the tatami. After that, Tushishvili stood over Riner and began to say something to the Frenchman. Then the Georgian judoka pushed Teddy with his hip when he tried to get to his feet.

Teddy Riner, Guram Tushishvili / Photo: © DeFodi Images / Contributor / DeFodi Images / Gettyimages.ru

At that moment, the stands began to boo furiously in disapproval: the fans simply did not understand how one could show disrespect to an absolute legend. The referee immediately slapped Tushishvili with a disqualification, which cost the Georgian a possible medal.

After the defeat, he could have performed in a repechage bout and then fought for bronze, but after the blatant rudeness, he can forget about the podium. And even the fact that after the bout, Guram and Riner shook hands did not save the Georgian from severe punishment. Especially since even at that moment, Tushishvili managed to show a mocking gesture, as if he was celebrating his opponent’s victory.