International Judo Federation Explained

Assocname:International Judo Federation
Abbrev:IJF
Logosize:190px
Category:Sports federation
Jurisdiction:International
Headquarters:Budapest, Hungary
President:Marius Vizer
Url:ijf.org

The International Judo Federation (IJF) is the international governing body for judo, founded in July 1951.[1] Today the IJF has 200 National Federations on all continents. There are over 20 million people around the globe who practice judo, according to the IJF.[2]

History

The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe and Argentina.[3] Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years.

Since 2009, IJF has organized yearly World Championships and the World Judo Tour consisting of five Grand Prix, four Grand Slams, a master tournament, and a Continental open tournament.[4]

In March 2009 it replaced the Pan American Judo Union with the Pan American Judo Confederation.[5]

In September 2021, Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine and his coach Amar Benikhlef were suspended for 10 years by the IJF after Nourine refused to fight an Israeli athlete during the 2020 Summer Olympics.[6] Nourine said his political support for the Palestinians in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict made it impossible for him to compete against Israeli athletes.[7]

The IJF initially named Russian President Vladimir Putin its honorary president and IJF Ambassador in 2008.[8] However, that status was suspended[9] and then stripped[10] in 2022, in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The IJF also cancelled all competitions in Russia, but allowed their athletes to compete as neutrals in individual and team competitions.[11] [12]

IJF President Marius Vizer, a long-time close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, wanted to let Russians and Belarusians continue to compete as neutral athletes despite the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Ukrainian pressure to suspend them entirely.[12] Ultimately, both national federations withdrew on their own accord, until June 2022 when they returned.[12] Ukraine boycotted IJF events beginning in June 2022 because the Russian team was allowed to compete in and entered competitions. Judo is one of the few Olympic sports which goes against the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee.[13]

The IJF announced on 29 April 2023, the last day of event registration for the 2023 World Championships, that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to participate as individual neutral athletes following background checks.[14] [15] [16] Following the announcement, twenty Russian and Belarusian athletes were registered and entered into the championships.[15] [17] [18] Of the twenty, at least five were reported to have ties with the Russian Armed Forces,[15] [19] despite the IOC's suggestion to deny participation of athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies.[15] [20] In protest, the Ukrainian team withdrew from the championships.[15] [17] [19]

Events

Presidents of the IJF

Notes and References

  1. Book: Black Belt Judo – Neil Ohlenkamp – Google Books. 9781845371098. Ohlenkamp. Neil. 2006.
  2. Web site: What is judo's problem with mixed martial arts?. Luke. Thomas. March 8, 2015. MMA Fighting.
  3. Web site: History . www.insidethegames.biz.
  4. Web site: Timeline . International Judo Federation . 29 September 2021.
  5. Web site: 2009-05-03 . Pan American Judo Confederation Recognized by the International Judo Federation News USA Judo . 2024-07-07 . web.archive.org.
  6. News: Tokyo Olympics: Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine and coach suspended for 10 years. BBC Sport. 14 September 2021.
  7. Web site: Algerian judoka sent home from Olympics after refusing to compete against Israeli. 24 July 2021. The Guardian.
  8. News: International Judo Federation Suspends Putin as Honorary President . February 27, 2022 . RFI . February 27, 2022.
  9. Web site: Official Announcement of the International Judo Federation . February 27, 2022 . International Judo Federation.
  10. Web site: 2022-03-07 . International Judo Federation strips titles from Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarch - CBS News . 2024-02-04 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  11. Web site: Citing safety concerns, Russia withdraws all judo athletes from international competition. infobae.
  12. Web site: Most Olympic federations suspend Russian athletes, but officials go free. playthegame.org.
  13. Web site: Ukraine boycotts Olympic judo qualifier as Russians compete . 25 June 2022 .
  14. News: Resolution Regarding the Participation of Russian and Belarusian Athletes in IJF Events . 2 May 2023 . . 29 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230429170446/https://www.ijf.org/news/show/resolution-regarding-the-participation-of-russian-and-belarusian-athletes-in-ijf-events . 29 April 2023.
  15. News: Ukraine set to boycott judo worlds after Russians allowed . 2 May 2023 . . 30 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230502024138/https://apnews.com/article/judo-russia-ukraine-olympics-boycott-aebf3b7fcfb95ea4644a212187b2dfe7 . 2 May 2023.
  16. News: Aharoni . Oren . Drama in judo: The international federation decided to bring Russian and Belarussian athletes back to competition . 2 May 2023 . . 29 April 2023 . he.
  17. News: Aharoni . Oren . Ukraine will boycott the World Judo Championships: "The Rubles have won" . 2 May 2023 . . 30 April 2023 . he.
  18. Web site: World Judo Championships — Doha 2023 — Individuals — Nations — Individual Neutral Athletes . International Judo Federation . 2 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230429210753/https://www.ijf.org/competition/2442/judoka_nations?nation=ain . 29 April 2023.
  19. News: Berkeley . Geoff . Ukraine boycott World Judo Championships after decision to readmit Russians . 2 May 2023 . . 30 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230502082616/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1136513/ukraine-to-boycott-world-judo-champs . 2 May 2023.
  20. News: Following a request by the 11th Olympic Summit, IOC issues recommendations for International Federations and international sports event organisers on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions . 2 May 2023 . . 28 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230328210025/https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-issues-recommendations-for-international-federations-and-international-sports-event-organisers . 28 March 2023.
  21. Web site: International Judo Federation Executive Committee. International Judo Federation. 16 July 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110714114758/http://www.intjudo.eu/Organization. 14 July 2011. dead. dmy-all.

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