Andorran Judo Instructor Suspended After Alleged Slap on 10-Year-Old Boy

The Andorran Judo Federation and Ippon Club de Judo have temporarily suspended an experienced instructor accused of slapping a 10-year-old boy during an after-school class, as police investigate conflicting accounts of the incident.

The federation confirmed the precautionary suspension Friday in a statement, noting it had contacted all parties and begun urgent fact-finding to clarify events and assess responsibilities. It added that the club acted swiftly in agreement, stepping the technician away from coaching duties at both federation and club levels while tensions cool. The federation is supporting the boy's family and offering full cooperation to authorities. Ippon Club president Elisard Martínez endorsed the joint measure, pending more details.

The alleged slap occurred Thursday afternoon at the Escaldes sports pavilion in front of other nine- and ten-year-olds. The boy's mother filed a police complaint that evening, along with government and federation notifications, after her son arrived home late describing the events and showing facial redness that later faded. Hospital staff could not document injuries as no marks remained. She included a WhatsApp message in her report where the instructor admitted the slap following parental inquiries. The mother described her son as defending himself after another child accidentally hit him with a ball, leaving him traumatised—he skipped school the next day, fears the sports centre area, and faces a Monday assessment with child and adolescent services for potential psychological support. The boy has stopped judo, a decision she regrets as unfair to him, and she seeks the instructor's dismissal.

Other witnesses, however, dispute this account. They claim the boy, described by some as restless and prone to tense school incidents, initiated the disruption by applying judo holds on a peer after the ball hit him unintentionally. The instructor intervened to separate them, reminded the boy judo is not for harming others, then lightly slapped—or "tapped"—him amid ongoing agitation, leaving no visible mark. The coach reportedly instructed the boy to change and offered to escort him home for a parental discussion, but the child left abruptly instead.

No prior complaints existed against the instructor, who appeared more agitated than usual that day due to student behaviour. The federation reaffirmed its commitment to judo's core values and community protection amid the uproar. Police continue their probe into the slap's intensity and circumstances.