International Judo Federation facts for kids
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| Sport | Judo |
|---|---|
| Category | Sports federation |
| Jurisdiction | International |
| Abbreviation | IJF |
| Founded | 11 July 1951 in London |
| 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 connects 200 national judo groups across all continents. More than 20 million people globally practice judo, according to the IJF.
Contents
History of the IJF
How the IJF Started
The International Judo Federation was created on July 11, 1951, in London. Representatives from judo groups in Europe, like Great Britain, France, and Germany, met there. They also welcomed Argentina to join. The first President of the IJF was Aldo Torti from Italy. Over the next ten years, countries from four different continents joined the federation.
Major Events and Changes
Since 2009, the IJF has organized big judo events every year. These include the World Judo Championships and the IJF World Tour. The World Tour is a series of tournaments like Grand Prix, Grand Slams, and a Masters tournament.
In March 2009, the IJF changed how judo was organized in the Americas. It replaced the Pan American Judo Union with the Pan American Judo Confederation.
Challenges and Decisions
In September 2021, an Algerian judo athlete named Fethi Nourine and his coach were suspended for 10 years by the IJF. This happened because Nourine refused to compete against an Israeli athlete at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He stated that his support for Palestinians made it impossible for him to fight an Israeli opponent.
The IJF had named Russian President Vladimir Putin an honorary president and ambassador in 2008. However, this special status was taken away in 2022. This decision was made because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The IJF also stopped all judo competitions from happening in Russia. But, they did allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in other events as "neutral" athletes. This meant they could compete without showing their country's flag or symbols.
The President of the IJF, Marius Vizer, wanted Russian and Belarusian athletes to keep competing. This was despite pressure from Ukraine to ban them completely. Eventually, the judo groups from Russia and Belarus decided to withdraw themselves. They returned to competitions in June 2022. Because Russian athletes were allowed to compete, Ukraine decided to boycott IJF events starting in June 2022. Judo was one of the few Olympic sports that went against the advice of the International Olympic Committee on this matter.
On April 29, 2023, the IJF announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes could participate in the 2023 World Judo Championships. They were allowed to compete as individual neutral athletes after background checks. Twenty athletes from these countries were registered. At least five of them were reported to have connections to the Russian military. This was despite the International Olympic Committee suggesting that athletes linked to the military should not participate. In protest, the Ukrainian team decided to withdraw from the championships.
IJF Events
The International Judo Federation organizes many important judo competitions:
- World Judo Championships: The biggest competition for adult judo athletes.
- World Judo Juniors Championships: For younger athletes, aged 21 and under.
- World Judo Cadets Championships: For even younger athletes, aged 18 and under.
- World Veterans Judo Championships: For older judo players, from 30 up to over 80 years old.
- World Kata Judo Championships: Competitions focused on performing judo forms perfectly.
- IJF World Tour: A series of high-level tournaments including:
- Judo World Masters
- Judo Grand Slam
- Judo Grand Prix
- Continental Open events
Presidents of the IJF
Here is a list of the people who have led the International Judo Federation:
- Aldo Torti, Italy, 1951
- Risei Kano, Japan, 1952–1965 (He was the son of Kanō Jigorō, who created judo.)
- 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
- Park Yong-sung, South Korea, 1995–2007
- Marius Vizer, Romania/Austria, 2007–present
See also
In Spanish: Federación Internacional de Judo para niños
