The 2025 edition of the tournament has special accents, because it is the first event of the season of this Olympic cycle which in less than four years will culminate in the Los Angeles 2028 Games. This means that we will find judoka to whom we are already accustomed but also young athletes who want to demonstrate their full value.
Those who say ‘new Olympic cycle’ also say ‘new refereeing rules’ and it is also in Paris that they will be tested for the first time on the World Judo Tour, one more reason to be present here both for the judoka and their technical staff, as well as for the spectators. Everyone wants to know how the new rules will be perceived, understood and applied.
On the eve of the competition, the refereeing commission, referees and many experts, including media specialists, were present at the France Judo headquarters for a rich and fruitful exchange on the rules and their implementation.
Under the leadership of Florin Daniel Lascau and Armen Bagdasarov, IJF Head Referee Directors, the exchanges were intense and transparent; the main points of the regulations were explained, dissected and debated.
It is important to emphasise that the list of changes was established on the basis of the feedback and proposals made by the national federations at the end of the previous Olympic cycle, as well as on the advice of experts, "The role of the refereeing commission was not to make the proposals, our role was to implement them," explained Florin Daniel Lascau. "The process was very democratic. We are now entering an experimental phase, which we are looking forward to analysing.
The introduction of the yuko score, for example, or the reduction in the number of shido situations are rules that we will test until this year’s world championships in June. We need to understand the impact that the new rules will have, precisely. Our goal is to give a chance to offensive judoka who seek to throw. It is all about positive judo," added Lascau.
The two hours of the seminar passed very quickly as the discussions were full and dynamic, each person present being able to bring their understanding of the rules in order to find common ground. This approach will be repeated at each event of the world circuit in the coming weeks and months. A very detailed analysis will be carried out which will allow for the solidifying of a set of rules that will be authoritative when the Olympic qualification period begins.