In the final of the 11-12 age group at the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Young Talented Karate Tournament taking place on August 18, athlete TM (born in 2013, Tan Binh district) lost 3-11 to an opponent in Binh Thanh district.
Initially noted, this was a medal-fixing case involving an adult and the victim was an athlete.
Why give up, according to the child's parents, the head of the Karate delegation of Tan Binh district explained: "Binh Thanh district has few medals, they asked us (Tan Binh district) to give them one."
It is necessary to clarify the truth of the above settlement. And fortunately, the match was recorded, watching the clip, many Karate masters commented that TM won. However, a frank and fair answer is needed from the organizers.
In mainstream sports competitions, we sometimes hear rumors about medal arrangements. Teams with many medals often give them to other teams so that everyone can have achievements and "report" to the locality. The side that gives up the medal often "gifts" the other team by having the athlete proactively give up, and the other side wins without competing. This fact is known to everyone who has experience on sports fields.
There is a second way: the match still takes place, but the referee arranges for the designated side to win, regardless of how the match actually takes place.
This is very inconsistent with the honest spirit of sports competition. Athletes practice sweat and blood in the dojo, but when they compete, lies interfere and have all their efforts taken away.
In the case of TM, who is only 11 years old, he practices martial arts and competes. He competes with all his heart and hopes to receive fairness from the judges, who are his teachers. But I was disappointed when I learned that I was the victim of a medal racket.
This medal settlement shows one thing - that because of achievements, negative things have crept into the sports arena, even buying and selling. On the martial arts field, using the referee's authority to force one side to lose is tarnishing the spirit of martial arts.
Young people who come to martial arts not only learn self-defense and fighting techniques, but also learn "martial arts". Martial arts are the qualities and values that martial arts children are taught and trained in, including noble qualities such as discipline, fairness, kindness, nobility, and honesty.
Being a martial arts teacher who arranges medals regardless of honesty on the field is not worthy of being a teacher because it goes against martial arts and the spirit of martial arts.
