International Judo Federation facts for kids
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| Category | Sports federation |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | International |
| Abbreviation | IJF |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Headquarters | Budapest, Hungary |
| President | Marius Vizer |
| Official website | |
The International Judo Federation (IJF) is the main group that manages the sport of judo around the world. It was started in July 1951. Today, the IJF has 200 member countries on every continent. The IJF says that more than 20 million people practice judo globally.
History of the IJF
When it first began, the IJF was made up of judo groups from Europe and Argentina. Over the next ten years, countries from four different continents joined.
Since 2009, the IJF has held World Championships every year. They also organize the World Judo Tour. This tour includes big events like five Grand Prix tournaments, four Grand Slams, a master tournament, and a Continental open tournament.
In September 2021, an Algerian judo athlete named Fethi Nourine and his coach Amar Benikhlef were not allowed to compete for 10 years by the IJF. This happened because Nourine refused to fight an Israeli athlete during the 2020 Summer Olympics. Nourine said his strong feelings about the conflict between Israel and Palestine made it impossible for him to compete against Israeli athletes.
The IJF had made Russian President Vladimir Putin a special leader and representative in 2008. However, this special status was first paused and then completely taken away in 2022. This was a reaction to when Russia invaded Ukraine.
The IJF also stopped all judo competitions in Russia. But they did let Russian athletes compete as individuals, not representing their country, in other events.
Marius Vizer, the current IJF President, is a good friend of Vladimir Putin. He wanted to let Russian and Belarusian athletes keep competing as neutral athletes. This was despite the invasion of Ukraine and Ukraine asking them to stop all Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing. In the end, both countries' judo groups decided to withdraw on their own. They returned in June 2022. Because the Russian team was allowed to compete, Ukraine decided to boycott IJF events starting in June 2022. Judo is one of the few Olympic sports that did not follow the advice of the International Olympic Committee on this matter.
On April 29, 2023, the IJF announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes could take part as individual neutral athletes. This was after they passed background checks. Twenty Russian and Belarusian athletes signed up for the championships. At least five of these athletes were reported to have links to the Russian Armed Forces. This was despite the International Olympic Committee suggesting that athletes connected to the military should not be allowed to compete. Because of this, the Ukrainian team pulled out of the championships in protest.
IJF Events
- World Judo Championships
- World Judo Juniors Championships (for athletes under 20 from 1974 to 2011, and under 21 from 2012 until now)
- World Judo Cadets Championships (for athletes under 18)
- World Veterans Judo Championships (for athletes aged 30 to over 80, in 11 age groups)
- World Kata Judo Championships
- IJF World Tour (Masters, Grand Slam, Grand Prix, Continental Open)
Presidents of the IJF
- Aldo Torti, Italy, 1951
- Risei Kano, son of Kanō Jigorō, Japan, 1952–1965
- Charles Palmer, Great Britain, 1965–1979
- Shigeyoshi Matsumae, Japan, 1979–1987
- Sarkis Kaloghlian, Argentina, 1987–1989
- Lawrie Hargrave, New Zealand, 1989–1991
- Luis Baguena, Spain, 1991–1995
- Yong Sung Park, South Korea, 1995–2007
- Marius Vizer, Romania/Austria, 2007–present
- Vladimir Putin, Russia, 2008–2022 (honorary, status removed)
See also
In Spanish: Federación Internacional de Judo para niños
