WATCH: Wild scenes in Dagestan as junior judo event descends into mass brawl

A junior judo event in Dagestan erupted into a mass melee as competitors and dozens of fans traded blows.

The tournament at the Ali Aliyev Sport Complex in Kaspiysk witnessed ugly scenes as the brawl was captured on camera and quickly shared across social media on Saturday.

Footage of the carnage starts with one of the competitors seen leaning over the barriers, throwing punches.

By that point a broader punch-up is already underway as dozens of spectators trade blows.

The brawling competitor was then seen returning to the mat, where he throws out punches and kicks at several fans.

It’s unclear what exactly sparked the mass ruckus, although judo trainer Khabib Magomedov later claimed that the unrest had not been started by either of the competitors on the mat.

“It all started when the athletes wrestled for more than 10 minutes. One of the Dagestani spectators either shouted, or waved his hand, or shouted ‘Hurray!’, And the Ossetian fans did not like it,” Magomedov was quoted as saying.

“And a fight began which the athletes were dragged into, as an eyewitnesses explained to me.”

The trainer added that those involved could likely expect sanctions.  

“In the end, no one will receive medals. On the contrary, maybe after that we’ll lose both athletes and coaches to disqualification,” he said.

The violent scenes played out a tournament for juniors organized by the North Caucasus Federal District.

Organizers were heard imploring those in attendance to stop fighting, although the requests appeared to have little effect.

The opening ceremony at the event had been attended by Russian Judo Federation director Kirill Denisov and fellow former judo star Magomed Dzhafarov.