As many of you have heard, the IJF has implemented several rules changes for Shiai competition. A group of USA Judo referees and coaches attended a seminar conducted by the IJF in Baku, Azerbaijan earlier this month where they reviewed these changes, both on and off the mat. As a result, the USA Judo Referee Commission has issued a Seminar Report and Referee Rules for your review and implementation. Our tournament software is in the process of being modified to implement these changes but will not be completed by the USA Judo National Scholastic Championships on March 18-19 in Reno, Nevada. As such, we will conduct these championships using the pre-2017 rules. This will allow our athletes, coaches and referees some time to get up to speed on these new rules and be able to practice during their normal dojo workouts. The new rules will be utilized at the USA Judo Senior National Championships on April 29-30 in Salt Lake City and all subsequent events moving forward. USA Judo (Posted Feb 3, 2017)
