Leipzig, Germany, Sept 10. (dpa/GNA) – Judoka Akaki Japaridze, says he attacked German opponent, Timo Cavelius, after a bout because his rival’s behaviour was “insulting” and “unacceptable for me as a Georgian and as a man.”
The 24-year-old beat Olympian Cavelius so badly in Leipzig, that he broke his jaw. Police and judo governing bodies are now investigating.
“Any form of physical aggression in sport is unacceptable. I do not evade responsibility for what happened,” the Georgian said in a statement on his Instagram channel. But he said he wanted to make clear that the incident was “not the result of emotions” triggered by sporting defeat. Japaridze wrote: “The reason was different: the behaviour by my opponent was insulting to my honour, both verbally and through gestures. That is completely unacceptable in sport and within the framework of sporting ethics – and above all unacceptable for me as a Georgian and as a man.”
The German raised a clenched fist towards his team, and also towards the Georgian on winning a league bout. Japaridze then suddenly started punching his opponent.
Cavelius has responded to Japaridze, who has returned to his home country. “That celebration was for my own team and was an expression of joy at winning the bout. I would like to state explicitly that at no point was it my intention to humiliate Akaki Japaridze as an athlete or to insult him because of his background, his nationality or his identity as a Georgian man,” Cavelius wrote in a statement. “If my celebration nevertheless came across to him as a personal provocation or insult, I regret that he perceived it that way.”
Cavelius, who had his jaw fixed with three plates in hospital, must now wait another 10 to 12 weeks before he can fight again and will miss October’s world championships.
“I am on the road to recovery,” Cavelius told dpa. “Even if my celebration may have triggered negative emotions in Akaki Japaridze, this can neither explain nor justify such a violent outburst. I neither insulted him verbally nor attacked him physically.”
GNA