Putting one of the martial arts at a site honouring the Roman god of war must have been a deliriously easy move back in the day for Paris Olympic organisers. Another decision – to spend 1.4 billion euros cleaning up the river Seine for the open water swimming events while banking on no rain to return the gunk to the flow – seems a step from a very altered state of mind.
The Olympic judo events carry no such contingencies. They all take place indoors at the Champs de Mars Arena and then it's unremitting strength, flexibility and patience.
Just a few hours after male triathletes had that virtue put to the test with the rescheduling until Wednesday of the swim in the Seine due its dirtiness, the male judoka weighing in at under 81kg and the women at less than 63kg, took their combat to the mat in a 10,000 square metre hangar that simultaneously projected the organisers' grand vision of sustainability - it will be dismantled after the Olympic and Paralympic Games - and yet mocked the notion of environmental concern.
As temperatures soared to 34 degrees Celsius in Paris, air-conditioning turned the arena into a chill zone.
The perfect sanctuary from the ravages of the sun. A hot ticket then: comfort, entertainment, patriotic fervour and, for some, a place for consolation.
"We were supposed to go to the triathlon this morning," said Gaetan Goueset as he emerged with his eight-year-old son, Nino, from a session in which French judoka Clarisse Agbegnenou had failed to retain the gold medal that she won in Tokyo in 2021.
Change
"We were at something of a loose end after the triathlon was cancelled," added the 41-year-old social worker from Bordeaux.
"We arrived on Monday night so we could watch the triathlon ... our train to go back home leaves first thing on Wednesday morning so we won't get to see it."
Despite the double whammy of disappointments, man and boy declared themselves happy with the day wandering around a few of the Olympic sites and then taking shelter in the cooled complex for the judo.
"It was about the right time to get out of the sun," Goueset smiled. "It was good to see the sites ... especially with Nino. The Olympics isn't something that happens every day. And the judo was good. There was a wonderful atmosphere in the hall.
Disappointment
"We're obviously a bit disappointed that Agbegnenou didn't win gold but at least she got the bronze."
Andreja Leski, beaten by Agbegnenou at the world championships last year, scored the winning point with 15 seconds remaining.
"I was so upset after the loss," said Agbegnenou. "I looked at my coach and he looked at me and told me I was not here. He told me to come back and get something."
Agbegnenou dusted herself off and returned for the bronze medal match against Lubjana Piovesana.
The Austrian started their showdown at a feisty pace but in a slick swirling movement, Agbegnenou had her down to register ippon - both of Piovesana's shoulders on the floor.
After defeating the holder, Leski went on to beat Prisca Awiti Alcaraz from Mexico to lift Slovenia's first gold medal in Paris.
Japan's Takanori Nagase claimed the men's -81kg category and Tato Grigalashvili from Georgia collected the silver - the country's first medal of the Paris Olympics.
His feats may well inspire young Georgian souls but one lad from Bordeaux remained distinctly unmoved.
"I get the impression that Nino won't be taking up judo when we get back home," said Goueset.
"He says he's going to stick with basketball."
Smart kid. There's no water involved.
