Players Call for a JOPT Boycott Over Ladies Championship Prizes

Condoms and Lubricants as Extra Prizes for Women

On October 6th, 2026, X/Twitter user ゼクシィ posted a screenshot of the description for the JOPT NLH Ladies Championship, sponsored by Sagami — a rubber manufacturer of condoms and medical products.

The prizes include 150 condoms and three lubricants for the winner, 80 condoms and three lubricants for the runner-up, 40 condoms and one lubricant for the third-place winner:

Japanese commenters were outraged by what they perceived as outright disrespect toward women. While some dismissed it as a bad joke, others saw it as proof the series organizers viewed women not as poker players but as purely sexual beings.

The Japanese community has begun discussing the potential for a JOPT boycott as a way to condemn such treatment of women in poker.

At the same time, some players pointed out that the tournament sponsor, Sagami — and the condoms it manufactures — were originally created by a woman, Saku Matsukawa, specifically to protect women against sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. From this perspective, the prizes seemed at least somewhat justifiable — until Sagami itself issued a statement on the matter and undermined that narrative.

Sagami’s Response to Criticism

The initial announcement for the Ladies Championship sponsored by Sagami, placed great emphasis on the importance that fun and respect had for the company:

Following public backlash from the Japanese poker community, Sagami hastened to apologize, where they explain their reasoning by almost reiterating their initial announcement:

Some people took this response as an even bigger slap in the face, especially given the emphasis on “Fun First” and the use of a female founder as a cover for a terrible decision regarding the Ladies Championship. 

Others noted that the statement makes no mention of substituting the prizes — possibly because the company primarily manufactures contraceptives and awards the very products it creates.

Why the Poker Community Is Calling for a JOPT Boycott

Historically, women have drawn the short end of the stick when it comes to special tournament prizes. While it’s considered standard practice to award cash and collectibles in open tournaments, organizers tend to switch to a “girls need girly things” mindset when women are involved — handing out cosmetics, spa vouchers, and trophies with questionable, stereotypically feminine designs.

As a whole, women tend to take such gestures in stride, mainly because organizers rarely cross ethical lines or display overt gender-based disrespect. To date, the only high-profile incident of this kind occurred when the Battle of Malta decided to staff a women’s tournament with scantily clad dealers — apparently assuming that the female players would enjoy looking at the bare bodies of male strangers while they played.

However, te situation with the JOPT prizes sparked such massive outrage primarily because the tournament sponsor, Sagami, could have funded literally any kind of extra prizes — yet didn’t choose accessories, clothing, or even cosmetics, as other sponsors did, but condoms and lubricants.

In 2026, one would expect a bit more mindfulness from a company of this scale — if only because not all women are sexually active, not all are heterosexual, and not all can use condoms or lubricants. Choosing such products is a deeply personal and individual matter, yet this gesture smacks of a “one-prize-fits-all” approach based on the assumption that “all women need this.”

Finally, there is simply nowhere for such prizes to go if they aren’t right for you; women would hardly feel comfortable trying to regift — or even sell — condoms or lubricants to someone else.