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1. Competition Area.

2. Equipment

Article 2 - Equipment

a) Chairs and Flags (Judges)

Two lightweight chairs must be placed on the safety area at diagonally opposite corners of the contest area and in a position so as not to obstruct the judges, Commission members and recorders view of the scoreboard. One blue and one white flag shall be placed in a holster affixed to each chair.

b) Scoreboards

For each competition area there shall be two (2) scoreboards, that indicate the scores horizontally, not exceeding 90 centimetres in height and 2 metres in width, placed outside the competition area where they can be easily seen by the referees, Commission members, officials and spectators.

The penalty points shall be immediately converted to scores and recorded on the scoreboards. However, the boards must be manufactured with a device that will record the penalties received by the contestants. (see Appendix Example)

There shall be two crosses in blue and white respectively on the top of the scoreboard for 1st and 2nd examinations of the doctors. (see Articles 8 and 29 Appendix)

Whenever electronic scoreboards are used, manual scoreboards must be available as a backup (see Appendix).

c) Timing clocks

There shall be timing clocks as follows:

Contest duration           - one

Osaekomi                       - two

In reserve                       - one

Whenever electronic timing clocks are used, manual timing clocks must also be used for control (see Appendix).

d) Flags (time keepers)

Timekeepers shall use flags as follows;

Yellow                - contest stop

Green                 - osaekomi duration

It will not be necessary to use the yellow and green flags whenever an electronic display clock showing contest duration and osaekomi duration is in use. However, these flags must be available in reserve.

e) Time signal

There shall be a bell or similar audible device to indicate to the referee the end of the time allotted for the contest.

f) Blue and white judogi

The contestant shall wear a blue or white judogi. (The first competitor called wears the blue judogi, the second wears the white.)

Appendix Article 2 - Equipment

Position of recorders/scorers/timekeepers

The scorers and timekeepers must be facing the referee and well in view of the recorders.

Distance of spectators

In general the spectators should not be admitted closer than 3 metres to the surface of the competition (or platform).

Timing clocks and score boards

The time clocks must be accessible to those persons responsible for maintaining their accuracy, and they must be checked regularly for accuracy at the start and during the competition. The scoreboards must correspond to the demands set out by the IJF and should be at the disposal of the referees as needed.

The manual timing clocks and scoreboards must be used simultaneously with the electronic equipment, in case of failure of the electronic equipment.

Manual scoreboards

EXAMPLE:

Blue has scored waza-ari and also been penalised chui.

White receives yuko immediately as a result of blue's chui.

Blue and white crosses

The background of the display area should be green and the crosses blue and white to correspond with the judogi colour of the contestants.

Article 3 – Judo uniform (Judogi)

The contestants shall wear judogi complying with the following conditions:

a)        Strongly made in cotton or similar material, in good condition (without rent or
tear). The material must not be so thick or so hard as to prevent the opponent from taking a grip.

b)        Blue in colour for the first contestant and white or off white for the second
contestant.

c)         Acceptable markings:

i)          National Olympic abbreviation (on back of jacket).

ii)         National Emblem (on left breast of jacket). Maximum size 100 square
centimetres.

iii)        Manufacturer's trade mark (on bottom-front of jacket and on bottom
front of left leg of the trousers). Maximum size 25 square centimetres.

iv)        Shoulder markings (from collar - across shoulder - down arm - both
sides of jacket). Maximum length 25 centimetres and maximum width 5 centimetres.

v)         Indication of the placing (1st, 2nd, 3rd) at the Olympic Games or World
Championships, in an area of 6cm x 10cm at the bottom front left side of the jacket.

vi)        The contestant's name may be worn on the belt, uniform lower front
top of the jacket and upper front top of the pants and must be a maximum of 3cm x 10cm. Also the contestant's name or abbreviation may be placed (printed or embroidered), above the National Olympic abbreviation, but in no case in a position to prevent an opponent from grasping the back of the jacket. The size of the letters is a maximum of 7cm high and the length of the name is a maximum of 30 cm. This rectangular area of 7 x 30 cm must be located at 3 cm under the collar of the jacket and the back identification must be fixed at 4 cm under this area.

d)        The jacket shall be long enough to cover the thighs and shall at a minimum
reach to the fists when the arms are fully extended downwards at the sides of the body. The body of the jacket shall be worn with the left side crossed over the right and shall be wide enough to have a minimum overlap of 20 centimetres at the level of the bottom of the rib-cage. The sleeves of the jacket must reach to the wrist joint as a maximum and 5 centimetres above the wrist joint as a minimum. A space of 10-15 centimetres shall exist between the sleeve and the arm (inclusive of bandages), on the entire length of the sleeve.

e)        The trousers, free of any markings, shall be long enough to cover the legs
and shall at a maximum reach to the ankle joint and at a minimum 5 centimetres above the ankle joint. A space of 10-15 centimetres shall exist between the trouser leg and the leg (inclusive of bandages) on the whole length of the trouser leg.

f)          A strong belt, 4 to 5cm wide, whose colour corresponds to the grade, shall
be worn over the jacket at waist level and tied with a square knot tight enough to prevent the jacket from being too loose and long enough to go twice around the waist and leave 20 to 30cm protruding from each side of the knot when tied.

g)         Female contestants shall wear under the jacket either:-

i)          be worn inside the trousers, or:-

            ii)         a plain white or off-white leotard with short sleeves.

Appendix Article 3 – Judo uniform (judogi)

If the judogi of a contestant does not comply with this article, the referee must order the contestant to change in the shortest possible time, into a judogi which does comply with the article.

The contestants' spare judogi should be brought by the coaches to their chair at the edge of the competition area.

To ensure that the sleeves of the contestant's jacket are the required length, the referee shall direct the contestant to raise both arms, fully extended forward at shoulder level, when making the control.

Article 4 – Hygiene

(a)       The judogi shall be clean, generally dry and without unpleasant odour.

(b)       The nails of the feet and hands shall be cut short.

(c)        The personal hygiene of the contestant shall be of a high standard.

(d)       Long hair shall be tied so as to avoid causing inconvenience to the other
contestant.

Appendix Article 4 - Hygiene

Any contestant who will not comply with the requirements of Articles 3 and 4 will be refused the right to compete and the opponent shall win the contest by kiken-gachi, according to the rule of "majority of three" (see Article 28).

Article 6 – Position and function of referee

The referee shall generally stay within the contest area. He shall conduct the contest and administer the judgment. He shall ensure that the decisions are correctly recorded.

Appendix Article 6 - Position and function of referee

The referee should ensure that all is correct e.g. competition area, equipment, uniforms, hygiene, officials etc. before starting the contest.

While announcing an opinion and making the appropriate gesture, the referee should bring at least one judge within his line of sight in order to be immediately aware of any differing opinion. However the referee must make sure not to lose sight of the contestants¡¯ continuing action at any time.

In cases such as when both contestants are in ne-waza and facing outwards, the referee may observe the action from the safety area.

Before officiating at a contest, the referees and judges should familiarise themselves with the sound of the bell or means of indicating the end of the contest on their particular mat area. When assuming control of a competition area the referee and judges should ensure that the mat surface is clean and in good condition, that there are no gaps between the mats, that the judges chairs are in position and that the contestants comply with Articles 3 and 4 of the Contest Rules. The referees should ensure that there are no spectators, supporters or photographers in a position to cause a nuisance or risk injury to the contestants. 

Article 7 - Position and function of judges

The judges must assist the referee and sit opposite each other at two corners outside the contest area. Each judge must indicate his opinion by making the appropriate official gesture, whenever his opinion differs from that of the referee on a technical evaluation or for a penalty announced by the referee.

Should the referee express an opinion of a higher degree than that of the two judges on a technical result or a penalty, he must adjust his evaluation to that of the judge having expressed the higher evaluation.

Should the referee express an opinion of a lower degree than that of the two judges on a technical result or penalty, he must adjust his evaluation to that of the judge having expressed the lower evaluation.

Should one judge express an opinion of a higher degree and the other judge an opinion of a lower degree than that of the referee, the referee maintains his opinion.

Should both judges express a judgment different from that of the referee, and the referee not have noticed their signals, they should stand up, maintaining their gesture until the referee is informed of this and rectifies his evaluation. Should, after an appreciable time (a few seconds) the referee not have noticed the standing judges, the judge who is closest to the referee must immediately approach him and inform him of the majority opinion.

The judge must, by the appropriate gesture, express his opinion about the validity of any action on the edge or outside of the contest area.

Any discussion is possible and necessary only if the referee or one of the judges has clearly seen something which has not been visible to the other two, and which could change the decision.

The judges must also observe that the scores recorded by the contest recorder are correct with the scores announced by the referee.

Should a contestant temporarily leave the competition area after the contest has been started, for a reason considered necessary by the referee, a judge must obligatorily go with the contestant to see that no anomaly occurs. This authorisation shall be given only for exceptional circumstances (to change judogi in case of non-conformity with norms).

Appendix Article 7 - Position and function of judges

The referee and judges should leave the competition area during presentations or any lengthy delay in the program.

The judge should sit with both feet apart, outside the contest area and should place his hands, palms facing down, on his inner thighs.

Should a judge note that the scoreboard is incorrect he should draw the referee's attention to the mistake.

A judge must be quick to remove himself and his chair should his position endanger the contestants.

A judge should not pre-empt the referee's signal for a score.

In an action on the edge, the judge should make the gesture immediately to show if the action is IN or OUT.

Should a contestant have to change any part of the uniform outside the competition area, and the judge to accompany the contestant is not of the same sex, an official designated by the Refereeing Director shall substitute for the judge and accompany the contestant.

If his competition area is not in use and there is a contest in progress on an adjacent competition area, the judge should remove the chair if it could endanger the contestants.

a)         The Referee

i)          

Ippon: shall raise one arm with palm of hand facing forward, high above the head.

Waza-ari: shall raise one of his arms with palm of hand facing downwards, sideways, to shoulder height.

iii)          

Waza-ari-awasete-ippon: First waza-ari, then ippon gesture.

Yuko: shall raise one of his arms, with palm of hand facing downwards, 45 degrees from his body.

v)        

Koka: shall raise one of his arms bent with thumb towards the shoulder and elbow at the side of the body.

Osaekomi: shall point his arm out from his body down towards the contestants while facing the contestants and bending his body towards them.

Osaekomi-toketa: shall raise one of his arms to the front and wave it from right to left quickly two or three times while bending the body towards the contestants.

viii)      Hiki-wake: shall raise one of his hands high in the air and bring it
down to the front of his body (with thumb edge up) and hold it there for a while.

ix)       

Matte: shall raise one of his hands to shoulder height and with his arm approximately parallel to the tatami, shall display the flattened palm of his hand (fingers up) to the timekeeper.

x)        

Sonomama: shall bend forward and touch both contestants with the palms of his hands.

Yoshi: shall firmly touch both contestants with the palms of his hands and bring pressure on them.

To indicate the cancellation of an expressed opinion: shall repeat with one hand the same gesture while raising the other hand above the head to the front and wave it from right to left two or three times.

xiii)      Hantei: In preparation of calling hantei, the referee shall raise both
hands forward at 45? with the correct flag in each hand, then at the announcement of hantei he shall raise the flag high above his head to indicate his opinion.

Kachi (to indicate the winner of a contest): shall raise one hand, palm
in, above shoulder height towards the winner.

To direct the contestant (s) to re-adjust the judogi: cross left hand over
right, palms facing inwards, at belt height.

To indicate the recording of a medical examination by the doctor:
signal with hand opened towards the contestant and with the other hand, raise the index finger towards the recorder for first examination and the index and the middle-finger for the second examination (Article 29 Appendix).

xvii)   Free Touch: in case of a minor incident (nose bleed etc.), signal with
one hand, opened, palm upwards, towards the contestant.

xviii)  Free examination: signal with both hands, opened, palms upwards,
towards the contestant.

xxi)    False attack: extend both arms forward, with hands closed and then make a downward action with both hands.

xxii)   Danger zone penalty: point towards danger zone, whilst raising the
other hand above head, forward, with fingers opened, then point towards contestant to be penalised.

iv)        To indicate that his opinion differs from that of the referee, the judge(s) will make one of the signals of Article 8 (a).

v)       In hantei situations the judges must hold the flags in the proper
hands. After the referee has announced hantei the judges shall immediately raise either the blue or white flag above their heads in order to indicate which contestant they consider merits the decision.

The contest shall be fought in the contest area. Any technique applied when one or both contestants are outside the contest area shall not be recognised. For example if one contestant shall have even one of his feet, hands or knees outside the contest area while standing or more than half of his body outside the contest area while doing sutemi-waza, he shall be considered as being outside the contest area.

Exceptions:

a)       When one contestant throws his opponent outside the contest area, but
himself stays within the contest area long enough for the effectiveness of the technique to be clearly apparent, the technique shall be recognised.

b)      In ne-waza the action is valid and may continue so long as either contestant
has any part of the body touching the contest area.

c)      If during the course of an attack such as o-uchi-gari or ko-uchi-gari the foot or
leg of the thrower leaves the contest area and moves over the mat of the safety area, the action should be considered valid for scoring purposes so long as the thrower does not place any weight upon the foot or leg while it is outside the contest area.

Article 10 – Duration of contest

For the World Championships and Olympic Games, the time duration of contests is:

-         Men: 5 minutes real contest time

-         Women: 4 minutes real contest time

Any contestant is entitled to rest between contests for a period of 10 minutes.

Appendix Article 10 – Duration of contest

The duration of the contests and the contest form shall be determined according to the rules of the tournament.

The referee should be aware of the duration of the contest before coming onto the competition area.

Article 11 – Time out

The time elapsed between the announcement of matte and hajime and between sono-mama and yoshi by the referee shall not count as part of the duration of the contest.

Appendix Article 11 – Time-out

Article 12 – Time signal

The end of the time allotted for the contest shall be indicated to the referee by the ringing of a bell or other similar audible signal.

Appendix Article 12 – Time signal

When using several competition areas at the same time - the use of VARYING audible devices is required.

The time signal must be sufficiently audible to be heard over the noise of the spectators.

Appendix Article 13 – Osaekomi time

Ippon:              total of 25 seconds.

Waza-ari:       20 seconds or more but less than 25 seconds.

Yuko:               15 seconds or more but less than 20 seconds.

Koka:              10 seconds or more but less than 15 seconds.

An osaekomi of less than 10 seconds will be counted the same as an attack.

Appendix Article 13 – Osaekomi time

When osaekomi is announced simultaneously with the bell signal, the time allotted for the contest shall be extended until either ippon (or equivalence) is announced or the referee announces Toketa or Matte.

Article 14 – Technique coinciding with time signal

Any immediate result of a technique started simultaneously with the time signal shall be valid.

In the case of osaekomi announced simultaneously with the time signal, the time allotted for the contest shall be extended until either ippon is scored or the referee announces toketa or matte.

Appendix Article 14 – Technique coinciding with time signal

Any technique applied after the ringing of the bell or other device to indicate the expiry of the time of the contest shall not be valid, even if the referee has not yet announced sore-made.

Although a throwing technique may be applied simultaneously with the bell, if the referee decides that it will not be effective immediately, he should announce sore-made.

Article 15 – Start of contest

Before the start of each contest the referee and judges shall stand together inside the limits of the competition area (and centred) and shall bow to joseki before taking their places. To leave the competition area, they also must bow towards joseki.

Contestants must bow onto and off the competition area and contest area at the start and end of each contest. After bowing onto the contest area the contestants move forward to their respective marks and must bow simultaneously towards each other and take a step forward. Once the contest is over and the referee has award the result, the contestants simultaneously take a step back and must bow to each other. (see Bowing Guide).

The contest shall always begin in the standing position.

Only the members of the Refereeing Commission may interrupt the contest. (See Article 17)

Appendix Article 15 – Start of contest

The referee and judges should always be in position to start the contest before the arrival on the contest area of the contestants. The referee should stand in the middle, two metres back from the line between where the contestants start. He should be facing the time-keeping table.

All standing bows by the contestants should be at an angle of 30 degrees as measured at the waist. If the contestants do not bow, the referee will request the contestants to do so. (see Bowing Guide).

Article 16 – Entry into ne-waza

The contestants shall be able to change from standing position to ne-waza in the following cases, but should the employment of the technique not be continuous, the referee orders both contestants to resume the standing position:

a)     When a contestant, after obtaining some result by a throwing technique
changes without interruption into ne-waza and takes the offensive.

b)     When one of the contestants falls to the ground, following the unsuccessful
application of a throwing technique, the other may take advantage of his opponent's unbalanced position to take him to the ground.

c)      When one contestant obtains some considerable effect by applying a
shimewaza or kansetsu-waza in the standing position and then changes without interruption to ne-waza.

d)     When one contestant takes his opponent down into ne-waza by the
particularly skilful application of a movement which does not qualify as a throwing technique.

e)     In any other case where one contestant may fall down or be about to fall
down, not covered by the preceding sub-sections of this article, the other contestant may take advantage of his opponent's position to go into ne-waza.

Article 17 – Application of matte

The referee shall announce matte in order to stop the contest temporarily in the following cases and to recommence the contest shall announce hajime:

a)        When one or both of the contestants go outside the contest area. (see
"Exceptions" under Article 9).

 b)         When one or both of the contestants perform one of the prohibited acts.

 c)         When one or both of the contestants are injured or taken ill.

 d)         When it is necessary for one or both of the contestants to adjust their

uniform.

 e)         When during ne-waza there is no apparent progress.

 f)          When one contestant regains a standing or semi-standing position from ne-
waza bearing his opponent on his back.

 g)        When one contestant remains in, or from ne-waza regains a standing
position and lifts his opponent who is on his back with his leg(s) around any part of the standing contestant, clear of the mat.

 h)         When a contestant performs or attempts to perform kansetsu-waza or
shime-waza from the standing position and the result is not immediately apparent.

 i)          When in any other case that the referee deems it necessary to do so.

 j)          When the referee and judges or Refereeing Commission wishes to confer.

Appendix Article 17 – Application of matte

The referee having announced matte, must take care to maintain the contestants within his view, in case they do not hear the matte announced and continue fighting.

The referee should not call matte to stop the contestant (s) going outside the contest area, unless the situation is considered dangerous.

The referee should not announce matte when a contestant who has escaped e.g. osaekomi, shime-waza, kansetsu-waza appears in need of or calls for a rest.

The referee should announce matte when a contestant who is face down on the mat, with his opponent clinging to his back, succeeds in rising to a half standing position, with his hands clear of the mat, indicating a loss of control by the opponent.

Should the referee call matte in error during ne-waza and the contestants therefore separate, the referee and judges may, if possible, and in accordance with the "majority of three" rule, replace the contestants into as close to their original position as possible and restart the contest, if so doing will rectify an injustice to one of the contestants.

After the announcement of matte, the contestants must quickly return to the position in which they started the contest.

When the referee has announced matte, the contestant (s) must either stand if being spoken to or adjusting their uniform, or may sit if a lengthy delay is envisaged. Only when receiving medical attention should a contestant be permitted to adopt any other position.

The referee may announce matte if a contestant is injured or indisposed and may ask the contestant's accredited doctor to come on the competition area and proceed with a quick examination.

The referee may announce matte if a contestant who is injured indicates to the referee that he requires an examination. This must be undertaken as quickly as possible (Article 29).

The referee may announce matte if the Refereeing Commission, on the request of the accredited team doctor authorises the doctor to undertake a quick examination of an injured contestant (Article 29).

Article 18 – Sonomama

In any case where the referee wishes to temporarily stop the contest e.g. to address one or both contestants without causing a change in their positions, or to award a penalty so that the contestant who is not penalised does not lose his position of advantage, he shall announce sonomama. To recommence the contest he shall announce yoshi. Sono-mama can only be applied in ne-waza.

Appendix Article 18 – Sonomama

Whenever the referee announces Sonomama, he should be careful that there is no change in the positions or grips of either contestant. 

If during ne-waza a contestant shows sign of injury, the referee may announce sonomama if necessary then return the contestants to the positions they held before the announcement of sonomama - and then announce yoshi.

Article 19 – End of contest

The referee shall announce soremade and end the contest:

 a)        When one contestant scores ippon or waza-ari-awasete-ippon (Articles 20
and 21).

 b)         In the case of sogo-gachi (Article 22).

 c)         In the case of fusen-gachi or kiken-gachi (Article 28).

 d)         In the case of hansoku-make (Article 27).

 e)         When one contestant cannot continue due to injury (Article 29).

 f)          When the time allotted to the contest has expired (see hantei). Upon the
announcement of soremade by the referee, the contestants shall return to their starting positions.

The referee will award the contest as follows:

i)          Where one contestant has scored ippon or equivalent, he shall be
declared the winner.

ii)         In the case where both contestants score ippon or sogo-gachi
simultaneously the referee shall announce hiki-wake and the contestants shall have the right to fight a new contest immediately. Should only one contestant exercise his right to fight the contest again, and the other contestant declines, the contestant who wishes to fight again shall be declared the winner by kiken-gachi.

iii)        In the case where both contestants are awarded hansoku make
simultaneously, or where one contestant is awarded hansoku make and is simultaneously awarded sogo-gachi, the referee shall announce sore-made and neither contestant shall continue to the next stage of the competition.

iv)        Where there has been no score of ippon or equivalent, the winner
shall be declared on the basis of: one waza-ari prevails over any number of yuko, one yuko prevails over any number of koka.

v)         Where the recorded scores indicate no scores or are exactly the same
under each of the headings (waza-ari, yuko, koka), the referee shall gesture and announce hantei.  

Before the announcement of hantei, the referee and judges must have
assessed which contestant they consider to be the winner, taking into account the recognisable difference in the attitude during the contest or the skill and effectiveness of techniques. 

The referee shall add his opinion to that indicated by the two judges
and shall declare the result according to the majority of all three opinions.

vi)        The decision of hiki-wake shall be given, when there is no advantage
on the scoreboard and where it is impossible to judge the superiority of either contestant, in accordance with this article, within the time allotted for the contest.

After the referee has indicated the result of the contest, the contestants shall take one step backwards to their respective blue and white tapes, make a standing bow and leave the contest area.

Once the referee has announced the result of the contest to the contestants it will not be possible for the referee to change this decision after the referee and judges have left the competition area.

Should the referee award the contest to the wrong contestant in error, the two judges must ensure that he changes this erroneous decision before the referee and judges leave the competition area.

All actions and decisions taken in accordance with the majority of three rule by the referee and judges shall be final and without appeal.

Appendix Article 19 – End of contest

Having announced Soremade, the referee should still keep the contestants within his view, in case they do not hear his announcement and continue fighting.

The referee should direct the contestants to adjust their judogi, if necessary, prior to indicating the result.

Article 20 – Ippon

The referee shall announce ippon when in his opinion an applied technique corresponds to the following criteria:

a)        When a contestant with control throws the other contestant largely on his
back with considerable force and speed.

b)        When a contestant holds with osaekomi-waza the other contestant, who is
unable to get away for 25 seconds after the announcement of osaekomi.

c)         When a contestant gives up by tapping twice or more with his hand or foot or
says maitta generally as a result of a grappling technique, shime-waza or kansetsu-waza.

d)        When a contestant is incapacitated by the effect of a shime-waza or
kansetsu-waza.

Equivalence: Should one contestant be penalised hansoku make the other contestant shall be declared the winner.

Simultaneous ippon - See Article 19 (f) (ii).

Appendix Article 20 – Ippon

Simultaneous techniques: - when both contestants f