Following his assault, Georgian judoka Akaki Japaridse has spoken out for the first time – and has levelled accusations at the German, Timo Cavelius.
Georgian judoka Akaki Japaridse (24) has spoken out publicly for the first time about his assault during the Bundesliga match in Leipzig – citing insults from his opponent Timo Cavelius as the reason for his outburst.
“Any form of physical aggression in sport is unacceptable. I take responsibility for what happened and will not shirk it,” Japaridse wrote on Instagram: “At the same time, however, I would like to make it clear that this incident was not the result of emotions triggered by a sporting defeat.”
Cavelius behaved in a “completely unacceptable” manner
Rather, “offensive behaviour” by his “opponent, both in the form of verbal remarks and gestures”, had led to the outburst, according to Japaridse: “That, too, is completely unacceptable in sport and in the context of sporting fairness.” The insults were unacceptable to him “as a Georgian and as a man”.
On the final day of competition in the Judo Bundesliga, during Saturday’s match against serial champions TSV Abensberg, Japaridse struck his opponent several times with his fist following a defeat to the German Olympic athlete Cavelius.
As the video in question shows, Cavelius had previously celebrated right in front of Japaridze. Cavelius (29) lost two teeth and has already undergone surgery for a broken jaw. He is likely to miss the World Championships in Baku in October.