Timo Cavelius, a Judo Grand Slam medalist who became the first openly gay man to compete in judo at the Olympics during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, was hospitalized and underwent surgery after being assaulted by his opponent while celebrating his victory during a team match in Leipzig, Germany.
The 29-year-old German national faced Akaki Japaridze, a guest judoka competing for JC Leipzig in the under-198-pound category, in two matches held within an hour of each other on September 5.
Japaridze, a 24-year-old Georgian national, won the first match, but Cavelius prevailed in the second with an ippon, the equivalent of a knockout in judo. After being declared the victor, Cavelius celebrated with a fist pump, which appeared to anger Japaridze, who attacked Cavelius, striking him in the face and continuing to punch him after he fell to the ground.
“I wanted to celebrate with my teammates, and then it all started,” Cavelius told the German newspaper Tagesspiegel. “At first, I was completely in shock. Even after I was already on the ground, he continued hitting me. Only the immediate intervention of my teammates brought the situation to an end.”
Cavelius suffered a broken jaw and had two teeth knocked out in the post-match assault. He was later transported to Leipzig University Hospital and underwent emergency surgery to repair two fractures, which required stabilization with three plates.
JC Leipzig apologized for the incident in a statement posted to Instagram.
“Violence has no place in our sport. As judoka, we stand for respect, tolerance, fairness and mutual respect,” the statement read.
Because the assault took place after the match had officially ended, Cavelius considers it a targeted act of violence. He has since filed a criminal complaint with police.
There is currently no evidence that the assault was motivated by anti-gay bias.
“I think the pictures speak for themselves. We’ll have to wait and see what the German Judo Federation, the European Judo Union, and the International Judo Federation make of it,” Cavelius told Leipziger Volkzeitung, referring to potential disciplinary action against Japaridze.
JC Leipzig could face a fine, and Japaridze could receive a lifetime ban for his outburst. Japaridze joined the team this season and has competed only twice. Before the incident, his teammates reportedly regarded him as polite and reserved.
Both the German Judo Federation and the Georgian National Judo Federation issued statements condemning the violence and saying such behavior is contrary to the spirit and principles of the sport.
Japaridze reportedly apologized to JC Leipzig via WhatsApp for the incident and thanked the club for allowing him to be part of the team. However, he also posted a statement on his personal Instagram account blaming Cavelius for escalating the situation.
“Any form of physical aggression in sports is unacceptable. I do not shy away from responsibility for what happened,” Japaridze wrote. “However, I want to clearly state that this incident was not the result of emotions caused by a sporting defeat.
“Throughout my career, I have experienced both victories and defeats — including in crucial matches; I have always accepted losses with dignity, and a defeat has never caused me to show aggression to an opponent,” he added. “The reason was something else — specifically, the opponent’s offensive behavior, involving both verbal abuse and gestures, which is completely unacceptable in sports and contrary to sporting ethics. Above all, it is unacceptable to me as a Georgian and as a man. Thank you to everyone who supports me.”
Cavelius rejected any suggestion that he had insulted or humiliated his opponent.
“That celebration was for my own team and was an expression of joy at winning the bout,” he told the German press agency dpa. “I would like to state explicitly that at no point was it my intention to humiliate Akaki Japaridze as an athlete or to insult him because of his background, his nationality or his identity as a Georgian man. If my celebration nevertheless came across to him as a personal provocation or insult, I regret that he perceived it that way.
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