Asian Games 2023: South Korean judo athlete slaps opponent in face, gets disqualified from match
- Lee Hye-kyeong’s slap causes Kazakhstani opponent Abiba Abuzhakynova to fall to the ground in pain, with scratch under her eye
- Abuzhakynova also left Paris Grand Prix match against Lee in February with her head wrapped in a bandage
A South Korean judo athlete’s Asian Games dream came crashing down when she was disqualified from a semi-final match after slapping her opponent in the face.
The 27-year-old Lee Hye-kyeong was up against Kazakhstan’s Abiba Abuzhakynova in the women’s 48kg tournament, after defeating Qurbonzoda Madina of Tajikistan in the round of 16, and Mongolia’s Bavuudorj Baasankhuu in the quarterfinals.
With the score still 0-0, and just two minutes into the match, Lee was seen slapping Abuzhakynova across the face. The Kazakhstani turned away at first and then fell to the ground clutching her face and beating the ground in pain.
A concerned Lee went straight over to her and put a hand on her back but the damage had already been done and the referee asked her to step away.
The coaches and crowd were left watching in confusion as Abuzhakynova rolled around on the mat in seeming agony before she stood up, revealing a scratch under her left eye. After a while, Abuzhakynova returned to the matt and assumed position, only for Lee to be shown a red card.
Lee barely reacted but her coach stood up with raised arms questioning the decision. Abuzhakynova walked over to Lee and they shook hands before the Kazakhstani made a rushed exit.
After her disqualification, Lee no longer had a shot at winning a bronze medal in the play-off, with the other losing semi-finalist – Uzbekistan’s Kurbonova Khalimajon – winning by default.
Abuzhakynova went on to lose in the final as Natsumi Tsunoda secured Japan’s first gold medal at this year’s Asian Games on Sunday.
Chinese netizens were torn over whether Lee’s slap was intentional or an accident, giving the incident a lot of attention, as the topic soared to the top of social media platform Weibo’s trending list with over 2 million views.
“As a professional athlete there is no way she would do this on purpose, I think it was just a slip. Her opponent’s reaction is also way over the top,” a Weibo user wrote.
Another user said: “It does not matter what her reason was [for the slap], the right decision was made”.
It was not the first time Abuzhakynova had left a match hurt after facing Lee.
In February, they battled it out for bronze at the Paris Grand Prix, a match won by Abuzhakynova, but the Kazakhstani left with a bandage around her head.
