Eddie in Tokyo: Judo coach slaps athlete – Olympia

Under the microscope: Martina Trajdus, judoka player from Germany. © APA / afp / FRANCK FIFE

A video clip causes a stir at the Tokyo Olympics. German coach Claudio Bossa slapped judoka Martina Trajdus several times before her fight.

28 July 2021

Author: cst / dpa

Several slaps in the face of judoka Martina Trajdos before her fight caused an uproar at the Tokyo Olympics. The IJF issued a warning against a German coach on Wednesday without explicitly mentioning Trajdus, Bossa or the competition scene on Tuesday. The federation reprimanded the coach for his “bad behavior during the competition”.

Previously, photos and videos had caused quite a stir, showing Pusa Trajdos shivering and slapping twice shortly before the competition. The 32-year-old German defended her coach. “This is something I ask my coach to do. Don’t blame him! I need this before my fight to be awake,” she wrote on social media.

“I need this before my fights to be awake.”
Martina Trajdus, Judoka

It is a ritual before the competitions decided by herself. “It seems that it was not enough,” added Traggdus, referring to her opening defeat at the weight-up to 63 kilograms on Tuesday.

The World Federation stressed in its statement on Wednesday that judo is an “educational sport and therefore cannot tolerate such behavior that violates the ethical rules in judo.”