In a remarkable turn of events during the Judo Grand Slam in Baku, Azerbaijan, the match between Portuguese judoka Anri Egutidze and Sweden’s Robin Pacek ended abruptly in less than 13 seconds, not due to a swift throw or an unexpected submission, but because of Egutidze’s unforeseen disqualification. In an oversight that left spectators bemused, Egutidze inadvertently entered the mat with his cell phone in his pocket. During the initial engagement, the phone tumbled out onto the mat, leading to a surprising and unusual pause in the bout. Contrary to expectations that the match would resume after removing the phone, the referee instead disqualified Egutidze, marking a disappointing debut for the 23-year-old athlete in this competition. The moment was captured in the video below, showing Egutidze’s disbelief as he placed his hands on his head, processing the unexpected turn of events.
The incident occurred in the qualifiers on May 11, the second day of the Grand Slam. Pacek, who advanced due to the disqualification, later lost in the repechage to Russian judoka Alan Khubetsov in the welterweight category (81kg). In the same weight class, Brazil’s Eduardo Yudi won his first match against Britain’s Stuart McWatt but was eliminated by Canadian judoka Antoine Valois-Fortier, a Bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics.
Interestingly, such incidents have also been noted in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At last year’s Pan American championship, a blue belt competitor accidentally left his cell phone in his gi. Realizing this mid-match, he handed it to the referee, who, unlike in Egutidze’s case, chose not to disqualify or penalize him.
Another similar occurrence involved renowned BJJ fighter Rodolfo Vieira during his last appearance at the Black Belt CBD Invitational. In his semi-final match against Australian Kit Dale, Vieira’s cell phone fell from his kimono in a scene reminiscent of Egutidze’s mishap.
Vieira promptly apologized to the referees, the audience, and his opponent. This incident, captured in the video below, was taken in stride and even became a humorous “meme” online. According to the IBJJF rule manual, there’s no specific prohibition against carrying a cell phone during a match, though it is generally advised against. Both in the Pan American incident and Vieira’s case, the lack of a clear rule led to no disqualifications or penalties being imposed.
