"Embarrassed as a fellow Japanese"… 'Hanpanpae' Judo Athlete Breaks Down in Tears Amidst Flood of Malicious Comments

Tokyo Olympic Gold Medalist Breaks Down in Tears After Round of 16 Defeat
"It Was Rude" Japanese Netizens Continue Criticism

Uta Abe (24) of the Japanese judo national team has been receiving malicious comments not only from Japanese netizens but also from people around the world due to her behavior after losing a match. As the situation worsened, Uta personally issued an apology, but the situation did not improve. In response to the continued insults and threats directed at Uta and other athletes, the Japanese Olympic team announced that they are considering legal action against such insults and threats.

Tokyo Olympic judo gold medalist Abe Uta was defeated by ippon in the round of 16 on the 28th of last month (local time).
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

On the 2nd, local media including the Sankei Shimbun reported that the Japanese Olympic Committee issued a statement on the 1st saying they would consider reporting to the police and taking legal action against excessive insults or threats toward athletes. Previously, criticism poured in targeting female judo athlete Uta Abe (24). Uta and her older brother Hifumi Abe (27) both won gold medals in judo at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, raising high expectations for the siblings to achieve back-to-back gold medals again at this Olympics. However, Uta was defeated by ippon in the round of 16 on the 28th of last month (local time), ending her competition early. It was her first individual match loss in 4 years and 8 months, and her first ippon defeat since December 2016.

Immediately after the match, Uta Abe struggled to get up as if she could not believe the loss and began to cry. Because of this, the process of tidying her judogi and politely greeting her opponent did not go smoothly. After managing to finish greeting her opponent, Uta soon began to sob at the edge of the mat. Her crying was loud enough to echo throughout the arena and lasted for about two minutes. Even after being helped off the mat by her coach, Uta was unable to steady herself and clung to her coach while crying out in anguish.

Even after barely getting off the mat with the coach's support, Wuta could not control his body and clung to the coach, screaming.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Japanese netizens who saw this on the broadcast left malicious comments on Uta’s Instagram such as "As a fellow Japanese, I am ashamed," "You’re not a child, why are you crying?," "This is immature behavior," "It’s disrespectful to the opponent," and "You’re not a monkey, what is this?" Not only Japanese netizens but also netizens from other countries joined in. Eventually, Uta apologized on her Instagram on the 30th of last month, saying, "I am sorry for showing such a pathetic appearance." She added, "I am proud to have been able to fight as a representative of Japan," and "I will spend each day so that I can stand on the tatami again with a grown-up appearance. I will definitely become stronger." She also congratulated her brother Hifumi, who achieved back-to-back Olympic gold medals, saying, "Congratulations on your second consecutive gold. You are the best brother and the best family."

Despite Uta’s apology, malicious comments toward her did not stop. In response, the Japanese Olympic team participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics issued a statement on the 1st regarding malicious comments on social media directed at athletes, saying, "We feel heartbroken and sometimes experience anxiety and fear due to indiscriminate slander and criticism." The team requested that people use social media with manners and stated, "We will consider reporting to the police or taking legal action against excessive insults or threats."