Chinese judoka allegedly bites Japanese rival, who then wins Asian Games gold

At the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, a bizarre incident occurred during the women’s under 70kg judo competition. China’s Tang Jing was disqualified from her quarterfinal match against Japan’s Rin Maeda for allegedly biting her opponent on the arm. Maeda immediately informed the referee and displayed her arm to officials. Video review confirmed Tang had bitten Maeda, resulting in her being disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior.

Tang was visibly upset with the decision, but eventually shook hands with Maeda before leaving the competition area without speaking to reporters. The Japanese coach, Maki Tsukada, had never seen such an incident in her career, noting the clear mark on Maeda’s arm that threatened to bleed. Maeda, however, did not require treatment.

Surprisingly, Maeda continued her run in the competition, reached the final, and ultimately won the gold medal by defeating Kazakhstan’s Azhar Askhat. The incident began the day grimly but concluded with Maeda standing atop the podium with a gold medal around her neck. Reuters reached out to the Chinese Judo Association and the Chinese Olympic Committee for comment, but Tang did not provide any further statements to reporters.