International Judo federation presents new rules for 2025

With the Tokyo Grand Slam as last event of the season, a cycle has ended and a new one has opened which will lead to the Los Angeles 2028 Games. All proposals to improve judo were combined and presented at the IJF technical meeting that was held following the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam 2024. They were thoroughly evaluated and discussed by a group of experts before being approved by the IJF Executive Committee. The opinion of the media was also requested in order to be able to answer as many questions as possible.

Changes to the IJF Sport and Refereeing Rules (SOR), which are summarised below, will be officially presented during the technical meeting organised in Istanbul, Turkiye, in the days to come. Delegates from all national federations will be present.
The purpose of those modifications that will impact competitive judo during the upcoming Olympic cycle, is to put the decision of each contest in the hands of the athletes.
The new rules will be implemented for the first time at the international level during the Paris Grand Slam 2025. This version will be used up to and including the World Championships Seniors which take place in Budapest (13-20 June 2025) and will then be reviewed after the event.
In the weeks to come, an important phase will start to explain the rules and their application, baring in mind that the values of the sport and its educational dimension will remain at the center of present and future developments.