'Bite' Incident Leads to Disqualification of Chinese Judo Player from Asian Games in Japan

Chinese judoka Tang Jing was disqualified from the Asian Games competition following a controversial incident in which she was accused of biting the arm of her Japanese opponent, Rina Maida, during their quarter-final match in the under-70 kilograms category in Nagoya. Tang, a three-time Asian Games medalist, was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after Maida showed the referee marks that appeared to be bite wounds on her arm, prompting the use of video review. The incident occurred during a grappling exchange on the mat within the safe zone and lasted about 30 seconds, with Tang’s face pressed against the lower part of Maida’s arm, the area where the marks were visible. The referee stopped the match and returned both athletes to their starting positions before they waited approximately two minutes for the final decision. Tang initially appeared to disagree with the ruling but shook hands with her opponent after her disqualification was announced. Japan’s national team coach, Maki Tsukada, said the marks left by the incident were very clear and appeared as though they could have caused bleeding. Tang did not speak to journalists after her disqualification, while Maida, who continued her campaign and went on to win the gold medal, said such an incident had happened to her for the first time and was not something that occurred frequently. She added, “I didn’t know what would happen, but I reported it to the referee. I felt some pain, but once I returned to the mat, adrenaline kicked in and I hardly felt it anymore.”