Lebanese judoka Nacif Elias' Rio Olympic journey came to an abrupt halt before his first match even ended. Elias was considered one of the Lebanese team's most serious contenders for a medal.

Elias, who was Lebanon's flag-bearer, was disqualified for an allegedly illegal joint lock on his Argentinan opponent, and left his first-ever Olympic bout in tears. And there are serious doubts about the legitimacy of the referee's decision.

"I think the decision is inadequate. The move was a regular move and I applied it in many competitions before," Elias told StepFeed .