PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Swedish judoka Tara Babulfath won Olympic bronze in Paris, but protested against the referee in the semi-finals.
Now the Swede is suspended for three months for her inappropriate behavior.
– It is tough, says Babulfath to SVT.
The 18-year-old judo talent Tara Babulfath lost a tough semi-final against the Japanese Natsumi Tsunoda – who later took the Olympic gold – in the 48-kilogram class. The overtime loss came after Tara Babulfath picked up her third caution of the game.
The Swede did not want to accept the verdict and argued for a long time with the Australian judge Lubovir Petr before she left the carpet.
Babulfath is punished
Later, the Swede won the bronze – Sweden’s first Olympic medal in judo – and she was not penalized for her behavior during the tournament in Paris. Now, however, the International Judo Federation has made the decision to suspend the 18-year-old for three months.
– Judo is the best thing I know and going abroad to camps and competing is something I live for, she tells SVT.
The article continues below.
However, she gets to keep her bronze medal and her place in the world ranking. According to SVT, the federation has taken into account that Babulfath was not aggressive in his protest, but stresses that it is serious that it happened in such a large arena as an Olympics.
– I think it would have been difficult for me to move on if I hadn’t made the protest that I did. But it is nothing I will do again in the future and I have learned the hard way, she says.
The suspension applies between July 30 and October 31.
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READ MORE: Andreas Almgren’s brutally honest words about the great Olympic disappointment – after having to leave Paris in tears: “It’s been hard”
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