The 15th National Games of China kicked off its judo competition on November 10 at the Huizhou Sports Center Gymnasium in Guangdong Province, marking the beginning of six days of intense martial arts competition that drew over 300 athletes from 35 provincial delegations. Held biennially as China’s premier multi-sport event, the National Games serve as both a showcase for elite athletic talent and a critical qualifier for international representation, making the judo tournament a focal point for coaches, selectors, and fans nationwide.
Competition took place across seven weight classes for men and seven for women, following the International Judo Federation’s (IJF) current Olympic structure. Matches were conducted on four tatami mats simultaneously, with elimination rounds beginning each morning and medal bouts scheduled for late afternoon sessions. The venue, a modern 5,000-seat facility completed in 2021, provided optimal conditions with regulated temperature and humidity controls essential for peak performance in judo, where grip and balance are highly sensitive to environmental factors.
On the opening day, defending champions in the men’s 66kg and women’s 52kg categories both advanced to the semifinals without conceding a single point, highlighting the depth of talent in China’s national training system. Notably, 20-year-old Li Wenhao of Shanghai secured an ippon victory over two-time bronze medalist Zhao Ming of Sichuan in the men’s 73kg quarterfinals using a seamless transition from seoi-nage to kesa-gatame, a technique combination praised by national team coach Zhang Yi in a post-match interview with China Central Television.
One of the most talked-about moments came in the women’s 57kg semifinal when defending champion Zhou Mei of Guangdong countered a aggressive harai-goshi attempt from Hunan’s Chen Xia with a textbook uchi-mata-sukashi, earning a waza-ari that held up for the victory. The move, rarely seen at this level outside of World Tour events, underscored the growing technical sophistication among Chinese judokas, many of whom train year-round at the national base in Beijing under the General Administration of Sport’s elite athlete program.
By the conclusion of the preliminary rounds on November 12, powerhouse delegations from Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong led the medal tally, each having secured at least two gold medals. Guangdong’s team, benefiting from home advantage and a strong regional development pipeline, claimed gold in the women’s 48kg, 57kg, and 78kg divisions, even as Jiangsu swept the men’s 60kg and 100kg categories through precise execution of ne-waza (ground techniques) — a tactical emphasis highlighted in their pre-tournament training camp reports released by the provincial sports bureau.
Several athletes used the National Games as a platform to assert their readiness for upcoming international commitments. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Qiu Shuai of Zhejiang, returning from a six-month injury layoff due to a torn ACL, won gold in the men’s 81kg division with four consecutive ippon victories, signaling a full return to form ahead of the 2025 World Championships in Budapest. Similarly, emerging star Wang Lin of Fujian, who captured bronze in the women’s 70kg category, earned her first senior national team call-up following the tournament, according to an official announcement from the Chinese Judo Association on November 14.
The competition also highlighted ongoing efforts to expand judo’s reach beyond traditional strongholds. Delegations from western provinces such as Qinghai and Xinjiang fielded full teams for the first time in National Games history, supported by a 2023 initiative from the General Administration of Sport to increase grassroots participation in underserved regions. Even though no medals were won by these delegations, their presence was noted by officials as a meaningful step toward nationwide inclusivity in combat sports.
Officials reported smooth operations throughout the event, with no major delays or procedural disputes recorded. The refereeing team, composed of IJF-certified officials from across China, maintained consistency in applying the latest rule updates, including the 2023 revision that reduced penalties for minor grip-breaking and emphasized offensive scoring. Attendance averaged 3,200 spectators per session, with local school groups and martial arts clubs making up a significant portion of the audience — a reflection of Huizhou’s growing investment in sports tourism and community engagement.
Looking ahead, the National Games judo results will directly influence selection for China’s team at the 2025 Asian Games in Nagoya and the 2026 World Championships in Paris. The Chinese Judo Association has indicated that top-two finishers in each weight class will receive automatic consideration for international assignments, pending further evaluation at the national winter championships in January. For many athletes, particularly those in non-Olympic weight classes, the National Games remain one of the few high-profile opportunities to gauge their standing against the country’s best.
As the final medals were awarded on November 15, the atmosphere in the Huizhou Sports Center was one of quiet pride and focused determination. While the roar of the crowd may not match that of a World Cup final or Olympic final, the significance of the National Games within China’s sporting ecosystem cannot be overstated. For judo, a sport deeply rooted in discipline and mutual respect, the tournament reaffirmed its role not only as a proving ground for excellence but as a unifying force across regional, generational, and stylistic divides.
The next major checkpoint for Chinese judo is the national team selection camp scheduled for early January 2025 at the Beijing-based National Training Bureau, where coaches will assess National Games performers alongside winter circuit results to finalize rosters for upcoming continental and global competitions. Fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see which athletes translate their National Games success into sustained international impact.
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