Gay Olympian Timo Cavelius has spoken about the violent attack that left him with a double jaw fracture, saying he does not want to speculate on whether his sexuality played a role.

The German judoka, who became the first openly gay man to compete in Olympic judo at Paris 2024, was attacked by Georgian opponent Akaki Japaridze following a Bundesliga match in Leipzig on September 5.

Cavelius had just defeated Japaridze and was celebrating towards his team when his opponent began striking him. He was taken to hospital and underwent surgery, with three plates inserted into his jaw.

Speaking to Outsports about the incident, Timo Cavelius said he was “still shocked” and had never expected a sporting contest to end in such violence.

Japaridze later claimed that Cavelius had behaved in a way that was insulting to him “as a Georgian and as a man”, referring to alleged verbal comments and a celebratory gesture. Cavelius has denied verbally insulting or physically attacking him.

Cavelius was asked directly whether his sexuality could have been a factor. He said Japaridze’s statement “leaves room for interpretation”, but stressed that he did not want to speculate without evidence.

“As long as Japaridze’s statements do not explicitly refer to my sexual orientation, I don’t want to speculate about it,” he said.

The German Judo Federation strongly condemned both the attack and Japaridze’s subsequent statement, saying Cavelius was attacked without warning and continued to be struck while on the ground. The federation also criticised the support Japaridze’s post received from some prominent international judo figures.

Japaridze has since been banned for life from competing in Germany’s Judo Bundesliga. His earlier win against Cavelius was also overturned, while separate proceedings remain ongoing with German and Georgian judo authorities, the International Judo Federation and German criminal authorities.

Timo Cavelius has been prescribed a six-to-eight-week break from sport and will miss the World Championships in Baku. For now, he says his priority is making a full recovery before returning to competition.