The International Judo Federation on Monday confirmed that France's David Douillet should not have won a controversial point that gave him a decisive win over Japan's Shinichi Shinohara in the heavyweight final at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

But it also rejected the widely held view in Japan that, instead, referees should have awarded Shinohara an outright win.

The ruling does not alter the outcome of the bout, and Douillet keeps the gold medal. However, if the point had not been allowed to stand at the end of the over 100-kg final, the two combatants would have deadheated and the referees would have had to judge a winner.