"It Wasn't Just Contact—I’m Telling You, She Bit Down Hard": Japanese Gold Medalist Rolls Up Her Sleeve to Reveal Shocking Bite Marks [Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News]  The mat is not an MMA arena. Even in an octagon, biting another person would warrant a lifetime ban. An unprecedented 'nuclear-bite' incident occurred on the sacred Asian Games stage when an athlete bit her opponent's arm, throwing the Asian judo world into an uproar. Chinese citizens themselves have unleashed a barrage of criticism against the Chinese athlete, who remained shameless despite committing an outrageous unsportsmanlike foul, calling the incident "an international disgrace."
According to foreign media outlets including JIJI PRESS on the 2nd, Tang Jing, 31, of China committed the shocking foul of intentionally biting Japan's Maeda Rin, 21, on the arm during the women's 70 kg quarterfinal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The match was held the previous day at the Nagoya Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.
During an exchange on the mat, Tang Jing bit down hard on Maeda's left arm. Feeling the pain, Maeda immediately appealed to the referee and rolled up her judogi sleeve, revealing unmistakable tooth marks on her arm. After confirming the injury, the referees promptly declared Tang the loser by penalty. Rather than showing remorse, however, Tang and the Chinese coaching staff protested vehemently as if they could not accept the ruling, adopting a brazen, blame-shifting attitude that drew boos from the crowd.
The backlash soon spread to China. When Chinese media outlet Sohu reported that "Tang Jing 'accidentally' bit Maeda's left arm during the exchange, leaving tooth marks" and openly moved to defend its own athlete, furious Chinese internet users lashed out at both the country's media and the judoka.
In comments on related articles, Chinese netizens wrote, "Stop making excuses. That's nonsense," "Is there such a thing as accidentally biting a person?" and "She resorted to biting because she couldn't win. She should be suspended from competition immediately." They made no attempt to hide their embarrassment.
Despite the bizarre ordeal of being bitten, Maeda did not waver. In the final that followed, she decisively defeated Kazakhstan's Azhar Askhat and proudly claimed the gold medal. Immediately after her victory, Maeda showed reporters the clear marks left on her arm and said, "At first, I thought her teeth had merely touched me, but the pain was extremely severe. When I checked, I realized she had really sunk her teeth in."
Tsukada Maki, coach of Japan's national team, also expressed disbelief, saying, "Given the nature of judo, being hit in the face or suffering swelling is unavoidable, but I never imagined that someone would bite another person at the Asian Games."
Meanwhile, Tang Jing, whose unsportsmanlike conduct was broadcast live across Asia, hurried out of the venue after responding irritably with a curt "I don't want to" when reporters in the mixed zone asked to interview her about the incident. It was the appalling true face of a 31-year-old Chinese veteran who had forgotten even the most basic principles of Olympism.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter