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How a heavyweight final at the Dusseldorf Grand Slam ended with no winner,
The heavyweight fight with two losers
Photos: The Grand Slam final without a winner
Perplexed by the outcome, unsure whether their journey had ended in victory or defeat, both competitors looked to their coaches for some form of reassurance. A bemused bow and cursory handshake later, they slowly ambled off the mat.
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Photos: The Grand Slam final without a winner
"It is against the spirit of judo to turn up and not fight," explained Sheldon Franco-Rooks, official commentator of the IJF. "There will be no gold medal awarded in this contest; they'll both get silver. They've both been disqualified. If you haven't come here to fight, off you go. That's it."
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Photos: The Grand Slam final without a winner
The ensuing medal ceremony was as unconventional as the outcome. Of the four men on the podium, not one stood atop it. "I was sad," former world champion Loretta Cusack-Doyle told CNN Sport. "For me it was an anticlimax to what was a wonderful weekend of judo that was positive and exciting to watch."
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Photos: The Grand Slam final without a winner
No flag was raised in the customary gold medal position. No national anthem was played. "Was it deserved? Yes, I personally think it was," said Cusack-Doyle. "It's the first time I've witnessed this happening and I hope it's the last."
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Photos: The Grand Slam final without a winner
Japanese judoka Hisayoshi Harasawa (L) and Takeshi Ojitani (R) contested the heavyweight final at the inaugural Dusseldrof Grand Slam, but neither man won

"The IJF Supervisors and our team deemed that this contest and the way it unfolded was unacceptable," said IJF head referee director Juan Carlos Barcos.
"There was no intention to fight from either judoka and with the recently amended rules we can now reprimand two judoka in this way.
"This is what we decided as there was no judoka worthy of winning in the +100kg final."
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