Tara Babulfath disappointed by three months suspension by IJF

Swedish Olympic bronze medallist Tara Babulfath, was suspended by the International Judo Federation (IJF) for three months following her reaction to a referee's decision during the Olympic Games semifinal against Natsumi Tsunoda. The suspension, while understandable given the circumstances, comes at a time when many athletes typically take a break, making the impact on her competitive season minimal.

Babulfath’s reaction, though driven by the heat of the moment, was not in accordance with the strict rules of judo, which emphasize respect and discipline. Despite the setback, Babulfath displayed sportsmanship in the aftermath and addressed the situation with grace on her social media, expressing her perspective while adhering to the values of the sport.

Babulfath: “After the Olympic Games the IJF Disciplinary Commission gave me a three months suspension due to my reaction after my third shido in the semifinal. I reacted because I didn’t feel, I was destroying the game and I wanted the referee to do a video review of the situation. I have a deepest respect to Tsunoda and I think she is a great judoka. My reaction was never towards her.

My suspension hit me hard because I really love judo. It’s my life! But I promise you, I will be stronger and more determined than ever when I return to the Tatami in November.”

Although she lost the semifinal match, Babulfath bounced back to win a bronze medal on the first day of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, demonstrating her persistence to win an Olympic medal at such age. Babulfath is already the most successful Swedish athlete ever.

Snapping off the grip is considered a shido infringement under current rules, and quite a few players actually lost their contests because of that. The most notable one was probably the semifinal match between Natsumi Tsunoda (JPN) and Tara Babulfath (SWE). The match was in Golden Score and both players had two shidos each. Babulfath made the mistake of snapping off Tsunoda’s grip and was given her third penalty (and thus, hansoku-make).

Read more about gripping rules.