Tokyo, October 2, 2026 (Epoch Times – reported by Zhaobin) Japanese judo athlete Maeda Rin won the gold medal in the women’s 70kg category on October 1st. During the quarterfinals, she faced Chinese competitor Tang Jing, who bit her arm for over 20 seconds, sparking heated discussions in Chinese and Japanese media.
A rare biting incident occurred at the judo competition of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Chinese athlete Tang Jing, in the women’s 70kg quarterfinals on October 1st, bit the left arm of Japanese player Maeda Rin during a ground fight, leaving visible bite marks, and was ultimately penalized and defeated by the referee. Maeda Rin won subsequent matches and eventually claimed the gold medal.
About a minute into the match, the two entered a ground fight. At 1 minute and 12 seconds into the match, Tang Jing bit Maeda Rin’s left arm. The two continued grappling off the mat until the referee called for a “pause,” but Tang Jing refused to release her bite, and the entire process lasted for over 20 seconds.
Maeda Rin promptly reported the biting incident to the referee and showed the bite marks on her arm. After reviewing the match footage, the referee team penalized Tang Jing for the foul, resulting in her defeat. Japanese media reported that Tang Jing spread her arms in disbelief at the decision.
Mizuto Nakamura, a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, served as a commentator for the match and expressed surprise after seeing the bite marks, stating that “from the visible bite marks, it’s evident that force was used to leave such an impression.”
A video of the incident was shared on X platform on October 1st, accumulating nearly 9.74 million views and over 12,000 reposts within a day. Many comments expressed dissatisfaction with Tang Jing’s behavior.
Some commenters stated, “Judo is a sport that Japan promotes to the world. It begins and ends with respect. Those who attempt to win by dirty means are not suitable for practicing judo.”
The event also stirred discussions on mainland Chinese social media. An article on Sohu describing the incident as a “controversial penalty,” claimed that Tang Jing “accidentally” bit Maeda Rin during the scuffle, leaving visible bite marks.
However, these explanations faced skepticism from mainland netizens. Comments in the forum said, “Stop making excuses; it’s downright ridiculous.” “To describe biting as ‘accidental’ is extremely embarrassing.”
Following the match, Tang Jing declined interviews. According to Hong Kong media reports, she only replied “No” to questions from reporters before leaving.