José Lucas Costa da Silva peered over towards the warm-up area for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition he was about to referee, faintly amused. It was early May 2023, and the 26-year-old martial arts instructor watched as one competitor in the high-school sports auditorium stretched and ran drills. He was wearing a white “gi”, a robe-like uniform, with some unusual accessories: sunglasses, a dark blue baseball cap and a medical mask. The man, whose name was listed as Mark Elliott, was a white belt, the beginner rank.
何塞•盧卡斯•科斯塔•達席爾瓦(José Lucas Costa da Silva)向即將擔任裁判的巴西柔術比賽熱身區望去,臉上露出一絲笑意。那是2023年5月初,這位26歲的武術教練看到一位選手在高中體育館的熱身區拉伸、做熱身動作。他身著白色「道服」(一種類似長袍的制服),還搭配了一些奇特的配飾:墨鏡、深藍色棒球帽和醫用口罩。這位名叫馬克•埃利奧特(Mark Elliott)的選手是白帶級別,也就是初學者。