Japan makes its refereeing revolution to hope to beat Teddy Riner

Japan makes its refereeing revolution to hope to beat Teddy Riner

It is an arbitration revolution which is advancing with feline steps on the Japanese tatami mats. While leg attacks are currently prohibited by the international federation (IJF), the Japanese federation (AJJF) plans to authorize them during the next Zen Nihon, the “all categories” Japanese Championship, in April 2025.

According to information revealed by The Spirit of Judoa judoka will be able to attack or defend in the legs of his opponent under two conditions: that a kumikata (guard hold) has been placed beforehand, and that the attack is made with one hand, the other must remain placed on the opposing judogi.

The Zen Nihon is “THE” Japanese Championship, the total judo tournament with five-minute fights and a final lasting eight minutes. The appeal of this competition lies in the fact that light and middleweights can face heavyweights. “It’s a return to the original spirit of judo, where a little guy can beat a big guy. Like the French Revolution »Shinji Hosokawa, gold medalist at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 (-60 kg), once told us.

We remember the tiny champion Masato Uchishiba, Olympic gold medalist at the Athens Games in 2004 (-66 kg) who, despite his small meter sixty, had dared to line up against fighters double or even triple his height. his weight such as Yasuhito Kurihara (160 kg).

The Japanese Noriko Mizoguchi, Olympic silver medalist who coached the French women’s team between 2002 and 2004, now a doctor of philosophy at the University of Tokyo, sees it as a necessity of survival for Japanese judo: “Today, the level of our heavyweights is zero. Fighters have become athletic at the expense of technique. Reintroducing this rule will allow them to be challenged with fighters from lower categories. This will push them to expand their technical palette. This is a great thing for Keiji Suzuki who is national coach until 2028.”

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