Judo Bundesliga: Beating attack overshadows fight

The Judo Bundesliga has been overshadowed by a beating attack. The Leipzig guest fighter Akaki Japaridze from Georgia beat the German Olympic starter Timo Cavelius from TSV Abensberg until he was hospitalized.

The JC Leipzig fighter attacked his opponent on Saturday evening in the Brüderstraße sports hall in Leipzig immediately after the end of the fight. The defeated Georgian hit the completely surprised Cavelius three times with his fist. The attack by the 24-year-old Georgian was preceded by a provocative jubilant gesture from the winner from Bavaria, who was five years older.

According to information from the Leipziger Volkszeitung, Cavelius lost two teeth and was taken to the university clinic with a broken jaw, where he was operated on that evening. The 29-year-old is preparing for the 2028 Olympic Games and cannot collect any ranking points for the time being. The Georgian disappeared into the hotel after the incident.

“The Georgian’s fuses have blown. This is a terrible isolated case and has nothing to do with Leipzig and Abensberg - our clubs get along well. We also think it's right that the team fight wasn't broken off, but rather brought to the end," said Abensberg coach Manuel Scheibel to the LVZ. The people of Leipzig immediately apologized and published a statement on Instagram: “Violence has no place in our sport. As judoka we stand for respect, tolerance, fairness and mutual respect.” Leipzig's coach Olaf Schmidt brings 50 years of international experience. But he had never seen scenes like this before in competition.

The host's 8:6 victory against the Bavarian series champions TSV Abensberg had long been confirmed. Both opponents faced each other for the second time within an hour. The Leipziger won the first duel under the 90 kilo limit. The Saxons now have to deal with the incident. The club may face a fine, guest fighter Japaridze may face a life sentence from the world association. He has only been part of the Bundesliga team this season and has only played twice. After the fight weekend he travels back to his homeland. “So far he has behaved completely calmly and inconspicuously. Now we are of course shocked,” said JCL captain Hannes Conrad to the LVZ.