A rare and unsportsmanlike foul occurred in the women's judo event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Chinese women's national judo team member Tang Jing bit the left arm of her opponent, Rin Maeda of Japan, during the women's 70kg quarterfinals held on October 1 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.

As Maeda entered a hold, Tang bit her near the wrist while struggling to escape.

Maeda immediately released the hold, stood up complaining of pain, and showed her arm to the referees.

Televised broadcasts clearly showed bite marks left on her arm.

After verifying the incident, the panel of judges declared Tang disqualified.

Maeda went on to win the semifinals and finals, claiming the gold medal.

After the tournament ended, she stated, "There was pain, but I was able to forget about it as I went on to compete in the subsequent matches."

Meanwhile, Tang left the mixed zone without responding to interview requests after the match.

Japanese media outlets have been heavily criticizing Tang for her unsportsmanlike foul.

Japan's Sports Hochi reported, "Tang left without even apologizing," adding that "voices of criticism against her are growing online."

Japan's Nikkan Sports reported, "Maeda won the gold medal despite suffering the shocking incident of being bitten by the Chinese athlete."

(Photo: Yonhap News)