The Asian Bodybuilding Federation said Friday that it had expelled a Japanese judge from the Asian Games for allegedly giving Japanese competitors favorable scores.
Katsunori Masaeda, 59, denied the allegations, saying "I did not judge any Japanese competitor with favoritism. Japanese judges are now anxious that they will be seen the same way (that I have been)."
Masaeda is the head of the judges commission for Japanese bodybuilding. Paul Chua, secretary general of the Asian Bodybuilding Federation, said that the governing body will convene a general assembly after the Asian Games and decide what measures to take against Masaeda, including the withdrawal of his judges credentials.
Bodybuilding made its Asian Games debut as an official medal event with the start of the preliminary round Thursday. A total of eight gold medals are on offer in the finals held Saturday and Sunday.