No wrong decision! – Judo Austria

Roland Poiger belonged to the illustrious circle of 16 IJF-A-Referees in Linz, who presided over 500 fights over 3 days. The man from Burgenland was not only impressed by the line-up of his colleagues, but also by the performance of the referees. A short interview.

For the first time after a 21-year break, the World Tour is back in Austria, more precisely in Linz. The IJF has nominated 16 referees for Linz. How do you rate your colleagues?

Roland Poiger: “With Roberta Chyurlia (ITA), the Finn Velimatti Karinkanta and Orlando Cruz (DOM) there were three World Championship referees in Linz, plus two complete rookies. The rest were mainly European judges. Internally, our services were consistently rated very well. I think it was a very good tournament not only for fans and players, but also for referees. The Austrian judo family can be proud of the World Tour comeback.”

Referee decisions are gladly and often discussed. Which topic was particularly important to you during the days in Linz?

Handle: “The big topic here at the referee meeting was still the heavyweight world championship final in Doha on May 13th – Teddy Riner (FRA) against Inal Tasoev, who competed under a neutral flag. Riner started the harai-goshi, Tasoev countered, but not with a judo technique. The attack was in accordance with the rules, but did not result in a score. This means that the decision made was in accordance with the rules – Teddy Riner deservedly won his 11th World Championship gold medal. Point!”

Will the verdict be shelved?

Handle: “There is an internal follow-up: the IJF is setting up a working group that will look at these types of transition techniques. Of course that makes sense.”