Cuban Grand Prix bronze taken away of Hedvig Karakas

London 2012 Olympian Hedvig Karakas has been requested to return her bronze medal and price win after breaking judogi rules. Karakas, who won silver at the Grand Prix of Zagreb last week explains what happened.

“At the tournament in Havana, I was wearing a gi which was one of my team mates’ gi, Zsolt Gorjanacz. Due to the fact that he is taller and bigger than me we re-tailored the gi so that it fits me properly. During my third contest against the German girl my gi snapped. The referee had a look at it, but hasn’t said anything. I have been given another gi and carried on fighting in that gi until I won the bronze.”

“A month after the tournament I received a letter from the national judo federation requesting to hand back my medal and the price money as well as to make me aware that my points will be removed”  explains Karakas.

The additional 120 qualification points, which comes with the bronze winning contest has been already removed from her collection on the world ranking.

In addition: “I have been also told that I am allowed to appeal which we have done. Normally, it is incorrect to fight in a smaller gi and there are some players actually aiming for it… I was wearing a bigger gi, yet I am the one been questioned. I don’t know where is the process of the appeal at the moment; however I do not feel that the Hungarian Federation would do everything to prove I haven’t done anything wrong.” – ends the European and World bronze medallist judoka.

Karakas is not the only one who is chased for her judogi, but an example of the “tight” (yes a 100% word joke) rules. In fact many judoka have a tailored judogi.