The International Judo Federation (IJF) has notified the All Japan Judo Federation (JJF) that it will not reverse a call against heavyweight judoka Shinichi Shinohara in a Sydney Olympic gold medal match, judo officials said Thursday.
IJF President Park Yong Sung told JJF head Yukimitsu Kano in a letter dated Oct. 9 that "Once the referee has announced the result of the contest, it is not possible for the referee to change this decision after the referee and judges have left the competition area."
Park noted, however, that the IJF Executive Committee has requested that the IJF Referee Commission review the officiating at last month's Sydney Olympics at its meeting next week in Nabeul, Tunisia.
The IJF Executive Committee will deliver an official statement on the officiating at the Sydney Olympics on Oct. 30 from Nabeul, the letter stated.
In the over 100-kg judo final at the Sydney Olympics, defending champion David Douillet attempted an "uchimata" leg throw which world champion Shinohara appeared to counter by with his own throw, sending the Frenchman somersaulting over his shoulders.
One of the judges signaled an ippon win for Shinohara, but the decisions of the other two judges awarded Douillet with a "yuko" point, which stood and turned out to be a decisive factor in the match.
In a protest letter to the IJF on Sept. 29, the JJF said it is ready to file a suit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport depending on response from the IJF.