The IJF and IBSA recently re-signed the Memorandum of Understanding that binds the two organisations (CLICK HERE). With two days of competition here in Tbilisi, it's an opportunity to take stock with János Tardos, IBSA Judo Chair.
"We are facing new and growing challenges but thanks to a strong and constantly evolving IBSA judo family, we have no reason to be afraid," explains János Tardos.
One thing is certain, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has confirmed that Para-judo will remain within the Paralympic movement, so there is no doubt that Para-judo will have a strong presence in Los Angeles.
The coming months will, however, allow for some changes to take place. "We have made changes to the weight categories to better adapt them to the athletes' health. The IBSA Judo Grand Prix in Astana, which was scheduled for autumn 2024, has already been held with the new weight limits.
We will also adapt the refereeing rules to reflect the changes decided by the IJF. We reserve the right to make further adjustments based on competition experience during the first half of the year.
The points system is also evolving and will be in line with the IJF regulations."
Under the leadership of János Tardos and the ongoing work of the IBSA Judo Commission, new strategic objectives have been defined for the coming years. These goals are the result of ongoing discussions with coaches.
"Our main objective is to increase the number of participating countries and athletes. We want to democratise Para-judo because there is untapped potential. While the IJF has more than 200 member countries, we still only count 65.
We want to focus on Africa and the Pan-American countries in particular, where the number of young athletes and female competitors is growing.
While we are focusing on the next Paralympic Games, we are also already thinking about the one after that, in 2032. We want to increase the number of Para-judo events that offer access to medals, for example by introducing new weight classes. To achieve this, we must demonstrate the viability of these weight classes.
The IBSA Judo leadership team can provide professional and organisational support to member countries and we place great importance on the professional development of judoka. On the refereeing side, we are very satisfied. Thanks to our close collaboration with the IJF Referee Commission, we select the best referees and train them in the various rules applied to Para-judo.
I believe that the professional training of athletes is crucial. It includes two key aspects: International training camps and adapting the belt examination system for visually impaired athletes on the one hand, and also the need to work on the training and development of coaches. To this end, we can draw on the ten years of experience of the IJF Academy to jointly develop a specific module for coaches of blind and visually impaired athletes.
The fight against doping and a modern and fair eye classification system are of crucial importance, both for general sport and for sports for the visually impaired; judo leaders advocate for clean sport. We are preparing proposals to improve the eye classification system."
The agreement signed between the IJF and IBSA will give new impetus to the development of judo and will also be accompanied by increased financial support."
The main mission of the IBSA Judo Committee is the professional management and development of judo. This relies on the strategic and operational leadership of IBSA, the professional support of the IJF and the services of the event-hosting countries. The IBSA Judo Committee is gradually expanding, in line with the increase in its tasks and an election of athlete representatives will also take place soon.
The recent Paralympic Games set the tone. Para-judo is an integral part of the judo family. The two days of competition in Tbilisi will provide yet another example of the beautiful harmony that reigns in the world of judo, offering a place for everyone, without any form of discrimination.
Source: CLICK HERE