White: B. Ban (Croatia), Red: B. Szemán (BKIK, Hungary)
In the final, in accordance with the new 'covid' rule, the judges awarded double hansoku (penalty) to both competitors for non-compliance with the tsubazeriai rule. The match then continued in encho after the normal competition time, where the winner of the first ippon would be the winner of the match and the winner of the whole competition.
During the match, White Player knocked the shinai out of Red's hand in tsubazeriai. After a lengthy discussion, the judges decided to award hansoku to the White competitor for this action and not to apply hansoku for dropping the shinai, thus giving the Red competitor the victory.
This course of events raises a number of questions about the new 'covid' rule, especially in light of the upcoming World Championships.
I ask all commentators to respectfully express their views.
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