Why aren’t you angry at the Paris Olympics, where there have been so many “misjudgments”? A foreign journalist points out the curse of “bushido” and “grace” in Japan.
Why aren’t the Japanese athletes more angry? Why aren’t the Japanese athletes more outraged? If you care about bushido or sportsmanship, you should change your mind right now. The longer you stay silent without protesting, the more you will be taken advantage of in the international community, especially in the world of sports.
A series of “questionable decisions” have been made at the ongoing Paris Olympics. The first controversial decision was in the men’s 60kg judo quarterfinal on July 27. Japan’s Tatsuki Nagayama (28) was knocked unconscious by Spain’s Francisco Garrigos (29), who continued to clamp down on him even after he was told to “wait,” and was declared the winner by Ippon.
In the men’s 90 kg judo final on July 31, Murao Sanshiro (23) was expected to win by an ippon (combination technique), but the judges failed to give him a giawase ari, and Nagayama lost by an ippon (combination technique). It was extremely frustrating that the match continued without even a video judgment, as Murao was just one step away from the gold medal.
However, there is an aesthetic in the judo world that says, “Never lament the result of a match that has gone too far, but accept defeat gracefully. In fact, Nagayama issued a statement on his SNS, saying, “No matter what anyone says, we are a judo family! ‘ and that he has made his peace with Garrigos.
Judo is not the only sport in which there have been “questionable decisions.” In the fourth quarter of a men’s basketball game between Japan and France on July 30, when Japan was leading by four points with 10 seconds left in the game, Yuki Kawamura (23) was called for a foul when his opponent’s three-point shot was blocked. He was fouled and the game turned into a four-point play. Catching up at the last minute, Japan lost the game in overtime.
Kawamura said, “We were up by four points, so Kawamura didn’t have to take the risk of flying into the block, but he didn’t foul. But it was obvious to everyone that he didn’t foul. I think only the referee and the French completely believed in that judge. I can never understand why Louis (Yamura, 26) was sent off. Why was that an unsportsmanlike foul? I can only think it was a decision to let France win.
