2014-2016

IJF Refereeing Rules

REFEREEING RULES
of the International Judo Federation
Edition 2014-2016

IJF Lausanne Office1007 Lausanne SVAJC
Avenue Frédéric-César-de-La-Harpe 49
Switzerland
www.ijf.org | office@ijf.org

2014-2016
REFEREEING: Culture, History, Principles

Jujitsu is the generic term that regroups all of the methods of empty handcombat that the warriors of the Japanese Middle Ages practiced.
The fierce fights between the various schools of jujitsu contributed to thenotoriety of their Masters and Pupils; it was in general duels between theschools that opposed the best practitioner of each among them.
Jigoro Kano at the end of the 19th century developed a school of jujitsu, that
he called “JUDO”, different from the other “Ryu” by its target.
Like the other schools, Judo cultivated the maximal efficiency but the goal
was not the same :“The improvement of man and society “
Judo is a method of physical, intellectual and moral education, by thepractice of a martial art.
Judo is the only martial art derived from Jujitsu where the grip of the
opponent is obligatory; this is what gave its technical wealth, finesse andintelligence. The confrontation in jujitsu didn’t allow real fighting since thegoal was to kill without being killed oneself.
Jigoro Kano created a discipline where the confrontations allowed techniques
to be applied completely, without ever injuring the opponent.
Ippon was granted only if the fall of the opponent was controlled until they
hit the ground or they submitted.
Apart from the elbow joint where one must leave the possibility for theiradversary to quit, all techniques are executed in the sense of articulation andnever in hyper extension.
The control of the fall direction, the impact “complete back” and the
speed of execution are the definition of the perfect success of the throwing
technique.
Judo is not a struggle where one accumulates advantages or points, whether
standing up or on the ground, judo is a duel with a code. The only goal isippon; all other values can be counted only if there is a will to score Ippon.

IJF Refereeing Rules
The evolution of fights and refereeing through the years
Of the challenges inter-schools of jujitsu without mercy, one passed, a little
more than 100 years later, to be a member discipline of the International
Olympic Committee.
The competition is today extremely well regulated and fully corresponds to the“Olympic Charter” humanist, educational and social. Judo remains neverthelessa martial art where a 100% duel must be the rule. An accumulation of points
doesn’t give the victory, it is the perfect technique that is rewarded with anippon that puts an end to the fight.
The only exception is the “Waza-ari-awazete - ippon” where, in this case twotechniques are executed and can be evaluated as nearly Ippon,. It is judgedthat they can correspond to “out of fight” (as at the time of the warriors of the
Middle Ages) and counted in judo like “ Ippon “.
The refereeing must take into account the philosophical aspect of the duel
between the two fighters, and reward them by the correct value or the correct
sanction.
The rewards are :- Ippon or nearly Ippon (Waza - ari) and Yuko (the intention to make Ippon but
without complete success),
The sanctions are:

2014-2016- A warning or disqualification, according to the severity, for those who put
in danger their own health or that of their opponents, those who refuse tofight, those who stop the fight from taking place fairly, who comes out of thefighting area. All actions contrary to the spirit of judo must also be punished.
The one who wins is the one who executed “THE” best technique or, if there
is no technical result, who demonstrated their loyalty by an offensive attitudeand fair play.
Culturally and in complement, judo doesn’t reduce itself to its Olympic
expression, judo remains a martial art, judo is more than a sport, all thetechniques of the Gokyo are part of the judo heritage and must always betaught.
It is the same for the” kuatsu “, techniques of resuscitations and joint
mobilizations practiced about forty years ago by the judo teachers and thereferees which are these days forbidden in some countries. Their practice is
not allowed but their knowledge is part of the judo heritage and should underno circumstances be forgotten.
The referees are the guards of the physical, cultural and philosophicalexpression of Judo.
Judo must be understood to be appreciatedIJF Refereeing Rules

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2014-2016

Article 1
Article 2
Article 3
Article 4
Article 5
Article 6
Article 7
Article 8
Article 9
Article 10
Article 11
Article 12
Article 13
Article 14
Article 15
Article 16
Article 17
Article 18
Article 19
Article 20
Article 21
Article 22
Article 23
Article 24
Article 25
Article 26
Article 27
Article 28

Competition Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.8
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.8
Judo Uniform (Judogi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.10
Hygiene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.10
Referees and Officials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.10
Position and Function of the Referee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.12
Position and Function of the Judges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.13
Gestures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.13
Location (Valid Areas). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.22
Duration of the Contest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.23
Time Out / Sono-mama / Mate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.23
Time Signal-Audible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.23
Osaekomi Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.23
Technique Coinciding with the Time Signal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.24
Start of the Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.24
Entry into Newaza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.27
Application of Mate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.28
Sono-mama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.29
End of the Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.30
Ippon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.33
Waza-ari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.34
Waza-ari-awasete-Ippon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.34
Yuko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.34
Osaekomi-Waza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.34
Prohibited Acts and Penalties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.36
Default and Withdrawal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.44
Injury, Illness or Accident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.45
Situations not Covered by the Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.48

IJF Refereeing Rules
ARTICLE 1 - Competition Area

Refer to section 9.8 of the IJF Sport and Organization Rules (SOR).

ARTICLE 2 - Equipmenta) Scoreboards
For each competition area there shall be two (2) scoreboards that indicate
the scores horizontally, placed outside the competition area where they
can be easily seen by the Referees, Commission members, officials andspectators.
The scoreboards must be manufactured with a device that indicates thepenalties received by the contestants. (See Appendix Example).
Whenever electronic scoreboards are used, manual scoreboards must be
available as a backup (see Appendix).

8b) Timing Clocks
There shall be timing clocks as follows:
Contest duration

One (1)

Osaekomi

Two (2)In reserve

One (1)

Whenever electronic timing clocks are used, manual timing clocks must also
be used to check their accuracy (see Appendix).
c) Flags (Timekeepers)
Timekeepers shall use flags as follows:
Yellow

Time out

Green

Osaekomi duration

It will not be necessary to use the yellow and the green flags whenever anelectronic display clock showing contest duration and Osaekomi duration isin use. However, these flags must be available in reserve.
d) Time Signal
There shall be a bell or similar audible device to indicate to the Referee theend of the time allotted for the contest.

2014-2016e) White and Blue Judogis
The contestant shall wear either a white or blue Judogi. (The first Contestantcalled shall wear the white Judogi; the second shall wear the blue.)

APPENDIX Article 2 - Equipment

Position of Scoreboard Keepers / Contest Sheet Writers / Timekeepers
The Contest Sheet Writers, Scoreboard Keepers and Timekeepers must be
facing the Referee.
Timing Clocks and Scoreboards
The timing clocks must be accessible to those persons responsible formaintaining their accuracy, and they must be checked for accuracy at the startof and regularly during the competition.
The scoreboards must meet the standards set out by the IJF and should be at
the disposal of the Referees as needed.
The manual timing clocks must be used simultaneously with the electronicequipment, in case of failure of the electronic timing clocks. The manualscoreboards must be available in reserve.

Manual Scoreboard
EXAMPLE: White has scored Waza-ari and has also been penalised with one (1) Shido.

Electronic Scoreboard
White has scored Waza-ari and has also been penalised with two (2) Shido.
Blue has scored one (1) Yuko.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
ARTICLE 3 - Judo Uniform (Judogi)
Refer to IJF SOR Appendix C.

ARTICLE 4 – Hygiene

1. The Judogi shall be clean, generally dry and without unpleasant odor.
2. The nails of the feet and hands shall be cut short.
3. The personal hygiene of the contestant shall be of a high standard.
4. Long hair shall be tied up so as to avoid causing any inconvenience to theother contestant. Hair shall be tied by means of a hair band made of rubber
or similar material and be void of any rigid or metal components. The headmay not be covered except for bandaging of a medical nature, which must
adhere to this one.
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5. Any contestant not willing to comply with the requirements of Articles 3
and 4 shall be refused the right to compete and the opponent shall win thecontest as provided for in Article 26 of these Rules, by Fusen-gachi, if thecontest has not yet started, or by Kiken-gachi, if the contest has alreadystarted, according to the “majority of three” rule.

ARTICLE 5 - Referees and Officials

Generally, the contest shall be conducted by three Referees of different
nationalities to the two competing athletes. For team competition same
principle applies.
One Referee on the mat with a radio communication system is connectedto the two Judges at the table of the mat who will assist with a video CARE
system under supervision of the Refereeing Commission.
A draw system will be implemented for the Referees to ensure neutrality.
The Referees shall be assisted by Scoreboard Keepers, Timekeepers andContest Sheet Writers.
The Refereeing Commission members who can eventually intervene, also
seated nearby with his own CARE system must be connected with theReferee and the Judges via headphones. Which acting procedure is reflectedin Article 19.6.

2014-2016
APPENDIX Article 5 - Referees and Officials

The Referee’s uniform shall conform to the dress code of the Organization.
The Organizing Committee shall ensure that the Timekeepers, Contest Sheet
Writers and Scoreboard Keepers as well as other technical assistants havebeen thoroughly trained as technical officials.
There shall be a minimum of two (2) Timekeepers; one to register the realcontest time and one to specialize in Osaekomi time.
If possible there should be a third person to supervise the two (2)timekeepers to avoid any errors.
The overall Timekeeper (real contest time) shall start the clock on hearing
the announcement of Hajime or Yoshi and shall stop it on hearing theannouncement of Mate or Sono-mama.
The Osaekomi timekeeper shall start the clock on hearing Osaekomi, stop it
on Sono-mama, and restart it on hearing Yoshi. On hearing either Toketa orMate he shall stop the clock and indicate the number of seconds elapsed to
the Referee.
On expiry of the time for Osaekomi (20 seconds or 15 seconds) if thecontestant applying the hold has already been awarded a Waza-ari he shallindicate the end of the Osaekomi by means of an audible signal.
Manual referring
The Osaekomi timekeeper shall raise a green flag whenever he starts theclock on hearing the announcement and seeing the signal of Osaekomi or
Yoshi. He shall lower the flag when he stops the clock on hearing Toketa,
Mate orSono-mama, or on expiry of the time for Osaekomi.
The overall timekeeper (real contest time) shall raise a yellow flag wheneverhe stops the clock on hearing the announcement and seeing the signal of
Mate or Sono-mama and he shall lower the flag when he restarts the clock onhearing Hajime or Yoshi.
When the time allowed for the contest has expired, the Timekeepers shallnotify the Referee of this fact by a clearly audible signal (see Articles 10, 11
and 12 of the Refereeing Rules).

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IJF Refereeing Rules

The Scoreboard Keeper must ensure that he is thoroughly familiar with thecurrent Referee gestures and announcements, so that he can accurately
indicate the progress and results of a contest.
In addition to the above persons there shall be a Contest Sheet Writer torecord the overall course of the contests.
If electronic systems are used, the procedure shall be the same as describedabove. However, manual timing clocks must also be used simultaneously withthe electronic equipment to ensure their accuracy and manual scoreboard
must be available in reserve.

ARTICLE 6 - Position and Function of the Referee
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The Referee shall generally stay within the contest area. He shall conduct thecontest and administer the decisions. He shall ensure that the decisions arecorrectly recorded.

APPENDIX Article 6 - Position and Function of the Referee

The Referee should ensure that all is in good order e.g. competition area,equipment, uniforms, hygiene, technical officials etc. before starting thecontest.
The contestant wearing blue Judogi is to the left of the Referee and thecontestant wearing the white Judogi is to the right of the Referee.
In cases when both contestants are in Newaza and facing outwards, theReferee may observe the action from the safety area.
Before officiating a contest, the Referees should familiarize themselves withthe sound of the bell or means of indicating the end of the contest on their
particular Tatami, and with the position of the doctor or medical assistant aswell with headphones and CARE system.
When assuming control of a competition area the Referee should ensurethat the mat surface is clean and in good condition, that there are no gaps
between the Tatamis, and that the contestants comply with Articles 3 and 4of the Refereeing Rules.

2014-2016

The Referee should ensure that there are no spectators, supporters or
photographers in a position to cause a nuisance or a risk of injury to thecontestants.
The Referee should leave the competition area during presentations or any
lengthy delay in the program

ARTICLE 7 - Position and Function of the Judges

Two Referees, acting as judges, will be seated at the table of the mat thatwill be refereeing together with the Referee connected by earphones and willassist him with a video CARE system according to the ‘majority of three’ rule.
Should a Judge notice that the scoreboard is incorrect he should draw theReferee’s attention to the mistake.
Should a contestant have to change any part of the Judogi outside thecompetition area, or need to temporarily leave the competition area after thecontest has started for a reason considered necessary by the central Referee,giving this authorization only in exceptional circumstances, a judge must
obligatorily go with the contestant to see that no anomaly occurs.
In case that the Judges are not of the same sex, an official designated by
the Refereeing Director shall substitute for the Judges and accompany thecontestant.

ARTICLE 8 - Gesturesa) The Referee
The Referee shall make gestures as indicated below when taking thefollowing actions:
1. Ippon: shall raise one arm with palm of hand facing forward, highabove the head.
2. Waza-ari: shall raise one of his arms with palm of hand facing
downwards, sideways, to shoulder height.
3. Waza-ari-awasete-Ippon: First Waza-ari, then Ippon gesture.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
4. Yuko: shall raise one of his arms, with palm of hand facing
downwards, 45 degrees from his body.
5. Osaekomi: shall point his arm out from his body down towards thecontestants while facing the contestants and bending his body
towards them.
6. Toketa: shall raise one of his arms to the front and wave it fromright to left quickly two or three times while bending his body
towards the contestants.
7. Hikiwake: 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. (* See Appendix)
8. Mate: shall raise one of his hands to shoulder height with his arm
approximately parallel to the Tatami and display the flattened palmof his hand (fingers up) to the Timekeeper.
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9. Sono-mama: shall bend forward and touch both contestants with thepalms of his hands.
10. Yoshi: shall firmly touch both contestants with the palms of hishands and bring pressure on them.
11. 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 threetimes.
12. To indicate the winner of a contest: shall raise one hand, palm in,above shoulder height towards the winner.
13. To direct the contestant(s) to re-adjust the Judogi: shall cross left
hand over right, palms facing inwards, at belt height.
14. To call the Doctor: shall face the medical table, wave an arm(palm upwards) from the direction of medical table towards theinjured contestant.
15. To award a penalty (Shido, Hansoku-make): shall point towards
the contestant to be penalized with the forefinger extended from aclosed fist.

2014-2016
16. Non-combativity: shall rotate, with a forward motion, the forearms
at chest height then point with the forefinger at the contestant tobe penalized.
17. False attack: shall extend both arms forward, with hands closed
and then make a downward action with both hands.

APPENDIX Article 8 - Gestures

When it is not clearly apparent, the Referee may after the official signal,
point to the blue or white contestant (starting position) to indicate which
contestant scored or was penalized.
To indicate to the contestant/s that he may sit cross-legged at the starting
position if a lengthy delay in the contest is envisaged, the Referee should
signal towards the starting position with an open hand, palm upwards.
Yuko and Waza-ari gestures should start with the arm across the chest, thensideways to the correct finishing position.
Yuko, Waza-ari gestures should be maintained for 3 to 5 seconds whilemoving to ensure that the score is clearly visible to the judges. However, careshould be taken when turning to keep the contestants within view.
*7. The Hikiwake gesture applies only to Round Robin competitions.
Should both contestants be given a penalty, the Referee should make theproper gesture and point alternately at both contestants (left forefinger forcontestant on his left and right forefinger for contestant on his right).
Should a rectification gesture be required, it shall be done as quickly as
possible after the cancellation gesture.
There should be no announcement made when cancelling an expressed
opinion.
All gestures should be maintained for 3 to 5 seconds.
To indicate the winner, the Referee shall return to his position at start of thecontest, take one step forward, indicate the winner and then take one step
back.

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IJF Refereeing Rules

16

Bow enteringand leaving
the tatami

Ippon

Standing before
the fight

Inviting Contestantson the tatami

Waza-Ari

2014-2016

Waza-Ari-Awasate-Ippon

Osaekomi

Yuko

ToketaMate

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IJF Refereeing Rules

18

Mate

Adjustmentof Judogi

Sono-Mama <=> Yoshi

To Cancel expressed
opinionStand-up

Not Valid2014-2016

HajimeSore-Made

Non Combativity

Kachi

False Attack

To award
a penalty

To callthe doctor

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IJF Refereeing Rules

20

Penalty for Blocking
AttitudePenatly for Cross
one side gripping

Shido for stepping
outsidePenalty forrefusing kumikata
pulling label

Stand-up2014-2016

Penalty for pictol grip
Pistol grip action

Penalty for leg grabbing

Penalty for fingers
inside sleeveAwarding a penalty

Penalty forstepping outside

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IJF Refereeing Rules
ARTICLE 9 - Location (Valid Areas)

The contest shall be fought in the contest area. A throwing action to bevalid must be initiated when both contestants are inside or at least Tori is incontact with the contest area or if this action is continuous.
Any technique applied when both contestants are outside the contest area
shall not be recognized.
All actions are valid and may continue (No Mate) as long as either contestant
has some part of their body touching the contest area.
Exceptionsa) When a throw is started with only one contestant in contact with thecontest area, but during the action, both contestants move outside thecontest area, the action may be considered for point scoring purposes if
the throwing action continues uninterrupted.
22

Similarly, any immediate counter technique by the player who was not in
contact with the contest area when the throwing action started may beconsidered for point scoring purposes if the action continues uninterrupted.
b) In Newaza the action is valid and may continue outside of the contest area
as long as Osaekomi was called inside.
c) Osaekomi outside the contest area if the throwing action is finished outside
the competition area and immediately one of the players applies Osaekomi,
Shime-waza or Kansetsu-waza, this technique shall be valid.
If during the Ne-waza Uke, takes over the control with one of thesenominated techniques in a continuous succession, it shall also be valid.
The Kansetsu-waza and Shime-waza initiated inside the contest area andrecognized as being effective to the opponent can be maintained even if
the contestants are outside the contest area.

APPENDIX Article 9 - Location (Valid Areas)

Once the contest has started, the contestants may only leave the competitionarea if given permission to do so by the Referee. Permission will only begiven in very exceptional circumstances, such as the necessity to change a
Judogi or which has become damaged or soiled.

2014-2016
ARTICLE 10 - Duration of the Contest

1. The duration of the contests and the contest form shall be determinedaccording to the rules of the tournament.
For all Championships held under the responsibility of the IJF the time
duration of the contests and resting time between contests will be referredin these Rules.
This regulation will provide guidance and guidelines to follow both National
Championships and the rest of Official Tournaments.
Senior Men / Team:
Senior Women / Team:
Junior under 21 Men and Women /Team:
Cadet under 18 Men and Women / Team:

5 minutes real contest time
4 minutes real contest time
4 minutes real contest time
4 minutes real contest time

2. Any contestant is entitled to a 10 minutes rest between contests.
3. The Referee should be aware of the duration of the contest before coming
into the competition area

ARTICLE 11 - Time Out

The time elapsed between the announcement of Mate and Hajime andbetween Sono-mama and Yoshi by the Referee shall not count as part of theduration of the contest.

ARTICLE 12 - Time Signal

The end of the time allotted for the contest shall be indicated to the Refereeby 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 different
audible signals is required. The time signal must be sufficiently loud to beheard over the noise of the spectators.

ARTICLE 13 - Osaekomi Time

1. Equivalencesa) Ippon: Total of 20 seconds.
b) Waza-ari: 15 seconds or more but less than 20 seconds.
c) Yuko: 10 seconds or more but less than 15 seconds.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
ARTICLE 14 - Technique coinciding with the Time signal

1. Any immediate result of a technique started simultaneously with the time
signal shall be valid.
2. Although a throwing technique may be applied simultaneously with thebell, if the Referee decides that it will not be effective immediately, he shallannounce Sore-made, without any value for scoring purposes.
3. Any technique applied after the ringing of the bell to indicate the expiryof the time of the contest shall not be valid, even if the Referee has not yet
announced Sore-made.

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4. Simultaneous Osaekomi with the time signal
When Osaekomi is announced simultaneously with the bell or similar audible
device indicating the time signal allotted for the contest, or when theremaining time is insufficient to allow for the completion of the Osaekomi,
the time allotted for the contest shall be extended until either Ippon (orequivalence) is announced or the Referee announces Toketa or Mate.
During that time the contestant who receives the Osaekomi (Uke), cancounterattack by applying Shime-waza or Kansetsu-waza. In case of getting
a give up or incapacity of the contestant making the Osaekomi (Tori), the one
who’s under Osaekomi (Uke) will win the contest by Ippon.

ARTICLE 15 - Start of the Contest

1. The Referee and the Judges shall always be in position to start the contest
before the arrival on the contest area of the contestants.
In individual competitions the Referee shall be at the tatami center 2mback from the line from which the contestants start, and shall be facing thetimekeepers’ table and the Judges will be seated at their respective table.
In team competitions, before the start of the contests from every encounter,it shall proceed to the bowing ceremony between the two teams as follows:a) The Referee will remain in the same place as in the individual competitions.
At his indication the two teams will come in on the side allotted, in line forthe outer edge of contest area, in descending order and the heaviest weight
being closer to the Referee, standing face-to-face team.

2014-2016b) Upon order of the Referee the two (2) teams, after bowing when entering
the contest area, will move ahead to the starting position on the mat.
c) The Referee shall order the teams turn towards Joseiki (Jury) , extending
his arms in parallel forward, with open palms, and will announce Rei, tobe held simultaneously by all components of both teams. The Referee shallnot bow.
d) Then the Referee shall order, in a gesture of arms at right angles forearms
up and palms facing each other “OTAGAI-NI” (bow to each other), the two
teams again be face to face, announcing Rei, to be held the same way asin the previous section.
e) After finishing the bowing ceremony the components of the two teams will
come out through the same place which they entered, waiting, on the outeredge centred of the contest area, the contestants of each team must makethe first contest. In each contest they will perform the same procedure ofbowing that in individual competition.
f) After finishing the last contest of the encounter, the Referee will order theteams to proceed as described in paragraph a) and b), announcing, then
the winner. The bowing ceremony will be held in the reverse order of thestart, bowing first to each other and, finally, to Joseiki (Jury)).
2. The contestants are free to bow when entering or leaving the contest area,
although it is not compulsory.
When entering the Tatami area, fighters should walk to the entrance of thecontest area at the same time
The contestants must NOT shake hands before the start of the contest.
3. The contestants shall then walk to the center of the edge of the contest
area (on the safety area) at their respective side according the fighting
order (first called on the right side and second called on the left side of theReferee’s position), and remain standing there.
A the signal from the Referee, the contestants shall move forward to theirrespective starting positions and bow simultaneously towards each other andtake a step forward from the left foot.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
Once the contest is over and the Referee has award the result, the contestants
shall simultaneously take a step back from the right foot and bow to each other.
If the contestants do not bow or do so incorrectly ; the Referee shall direct thecontestants to do so. It is very important to perform the bow in a very correct way.
4. The contest shall always begin in the standing position when the Referee
announces Hajime.
5. The accredited doctor may request that the Referee stops the contest in
the cases and with the consequences regulated in Article 27.
6. For all IJF events the functions of the coaches will be regulated by the IJF.
Coaches must be seated in the reserved site for them before starting the fight.
a) Coaches are not allowed to give indications to the contestants while they
are fighting.
b) Only during the pause time (between Mate and Hajime), during interruption
fight, coaches will be permitted to give indications to their contestants.
26c) After the pause is finished, and the fight continues (Hajime), coaches will
have to keep silence again and no gesturing.
d) If a coach doesn´t follow this rule, he will get a first WARNING.
e) If the coach starts the same attitude again, he will receive a second
WARNING and will be expelled from the competition area and may not be
replaced during this fight.
f) If the coach persists with his behavior from outside the competition area,
he will be penalized. The sanction may bring an accreditation withdrawal.
7. - The members of the Refereeing Commission may interrupt the contest.
and will interfere only when there is a mistake that needs to be rectified.
The intervention and any change to the decisions of the Referees by the IJF
Refereeing Commission will be made only in exceptional circumstances.
The interventions of the Refereeing Commission should take place in 3 cases:- A mistake of awarding the action between the white and the bluecompetitor,- On the awarding of Hansoku-make- Exceptional cases
The IJF Referee Commission members like Referees, must be of different
nationalities to the athletes on the mat.

2014-2016
There is no appeal process for coaches, but they can approach the IJF Jurytable to watch the reason for the change to the final decision.
The IJF Referee Commission members like Referees, must be of different
nationalities to the athletes on the mat.

ARTICLE 16 - Entry into Newaza

1. The contestants shall be able change from Tachi-waza to Newaza as far
as it is done by one of the cases referred to in this Article. However, if thetechnique used is not continuous, the Referee shall announce Mate andorder both contestants to resume the fight from the standing position.
2. Situations that allow the passage from Tachi-waza to Newazaa) When a contestant, after obtaining some result by a throwing techniquechanges without interruption into Newaza 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 position to take him to the ground.
c) When one contestant obtains some considerable effect by applying a
Shime-waza or Kansetsu-waza in the standing position and then changes
without interruption to Newaza.
d) When one contestant takes his opponent down into Newaza by theparticularly skillful application of a movement which does not qualify as athrowing technique.
e) In any other case where one contestant falls down or is about to fall down, notcovered by the preceding sub-sections of this article, the other contestant
may take advantage of his opponent’s unbalanced position to go into Newaza.
3. Exceptions
When one contestant pulls his opponent down into Newaza not in accordancewith Article 16 paragraph 2 and his opponent does not take advantage of thisto continue into Newaza, the Referee shall announce Mate, and penalise with
Shido the contestant who has infringed Article 25.7.
If the opponent takes advantage of the action of Tori, the Newaza work may
continue.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
ARTICLE 17 - Application of Mate

1. General
The Referee shall announce Mate in order to stop the contest temporarily
in the situations covered by this article. To recommence the contest, theReferee shall announce Hajime:
The contestants must quickly return after Mate to their starting positions in
the following cases:- The referee will give Shido for stepping outside- The referee will give 4th Shido - Hansoku-Make- The referee will ask the contestants to adjust their Judogi- The referee is of the opinion that a contestant(s) require medical
attention.
When a Mate must be given for a Shido to the fighter deserving it,
contestants will remain in place, without having to return to the starting
position (Mate – Shido – Hajime).
28

The Referee having announced Mate, must take care to maintain thecontestants within his view, in case they did not hear the announcement andcontinue fighting or if any other incident arises.
2. Situations where the Referee shall announce Mate.
a) When both contestants go completely outside the contest area.
b) When one or both of the contestants perform one of the prohibited acts
listed in Article 25 of these Rules.
c) When one or both of the contestants are injured or taken ill. Should anyof the situations of article 27 occur, the Referee, after announcing Mate,shall call the doctor to perform the necessary medical attention according
to said article, either upon the request of the contestant, or directly
depending on the seriousness of the injury, allowing the contestant(s),in order to facilitate performance, to adopt any position other than thestarting position.
d) When it is necessary for one or both of the contestants to adjust their
Judogi.
e) When during Newaza there is no evident progress.
f) When one contestant regains a standing or semi-standing position from2014-2016
Newaza bearing his opponent on his back, with the hands completely clearof the Tatami, indicating a loss of control by the opponent.
g) When one contestant in, or from Newaza regains a standing position andlifts the opponent, who is lying on the back with one (1) or both legs
around any part of the standing contestant, clear of the Tatami.
h) When a contestant performs or attempts to perform Kansetsu-waza or
Shime-waza from the standing position and the result is not sufficiently
apparent.
i) When one of the contestants starts or perform any preparatory moves of akind of fighting or wrestling technique (not genuine Judo) the Referee shallcall immediately Mate, trying to stop and not to let the contestant who
performs, finishes the action.
j) When in any other case that the Referee deems it necessary to do so.
3. Situations where the Referee shall not announce Mate.
a) The Referee should not call Mate to stop the contestant(s) going outside
the contest area, unless the situation is considered dangerous.
b) The Referee should not announce Mate when a contestant, who has
escaped from Osaekomi-waza, Shime-waza or Kansetsu-waza, appears inneed of or calls for a rest.
4. Exceptional situationsa) Should the Referee call Mate in error during Newaza and the contestants
therefore separate, the Referee may, if possible, and in accordance withthe “majority of three” rule, re-position 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.

ARTICLE 18 – Sono-mama

1. In any case where the Referee wishes to temporarily stop the contest
without causing a change in their positions, he shall announce Sono-mama,
making the gesture under Article 8.9 while he must ensure that there is nochange in the position or grip of either contestant.
2. Sono-mama can only be applied in situations where contestants areworking in Newaza.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
3. Situationsa) To award a penalty: If the contestant who is awarded the penalty is in
an unfavourable position, there is no Sono-mama: the penalty is awarded
directly.
b) Medical assistance: If during Newaza a contestant shows signs of injury
and according to Article 27 may be assisted by the doctor, the Referee
may announce Sono-mama and separate the contestants if necessary.
Subsequently will place back the contestants to the positions they held
before the announcement of Sono-mama being the Referee overseen by
the table Judges according to the ‘majority of three’ rule.
4. To recommence the contest, the Referee shall announce Yoshi making the
gesture under Article 8.10.

ARTICLE 19 - End of the Contest
30

1. The Referee shall announce Sore-made to indicate the end of contest
in the cases covered in this article. After this announce, the Referee shallalways keep the contestants within his view, in case they do not hear hisannouncement and continue fighting.
The Referee shall direct the contestants to adjust their Judogi, if necessary,prior to indicating the result.
After the Referee has indicated the result of the contest making the gestureunder Article 8, the contestants shall take one step backwards, make the bow
and leave the contest area by the sides of the mat, particularly around the
security area.
When the athletes are leaving the mat they must be wearing their Judogi inthe proper way and must not remove any part of the Judogi or the belt before
leaving the FOP (Field Of Play).
Should the Referee award the victory to the wrong contestant in error, theJudges must ensure that he changes this erroneous decision before theReferee leave the competition area, at which the decision becomes firm
without possible modification.
All actions and decisions taken in accordance with the “majority of three”
rule by the Referees and agreed by the IJF Refereeing Commission shall befinal and without appeal.

2014-2016
2. Situations of Sore-madea) When one contestant scores Ippon or Waza-ari-awasete-Ippon (Articles 20
and 21).
b) In the case of Kiken-gachi (Article 26).
c) In the case of Hansoku-make (Article 25).
d) When one contestant cannot continue due to injury (Article 27).
e) When the time allotted for the contest has expired.
3. The Referee shall award the contest as followsa) Where one contestant has scored Ippon or equivalent, he shall be declared
the winner.
b) Where there has been no score of Ippon or equivalent, the winner shall bedeclared on the basis of: one Waza-ari prevails over any number of Yuko.
c) Where there are no recorded scores or the scores are exactly the same undereach point (Waza-ari, Yuko), the one with less Shidos wins. Otherwise thecontest shall be decided by the “Golden Score” contest in both individual
and team championships.
4. “Golden Score” Contest
When the time allotted for the contest ends giving the circumstances ofparagraph 3.c. of this article, the Referee shall announce “Sore-made” toend the contest temporarily and the contestants shall return to their starting
positions.
There is no time limit for Golden Score but the scoreboard records from theprevious period will be retained.
The Referee shall announce “Hajime” to restart the contest. There shall be
no rest period between the end of the original contest and the start of the“Golden Score” contest.
The contest ends as soon as a contestant is being penalized by Shido(looser) or the opponent achieves a technical score (winner), the Referee will
announce “Sore-made”.
In the “Golden Score” contest, when one contestant is being held and“Osaekomi” has been announced, the Referee shall allow the hold down tocontinue for the 20 seconds (Ippon), until Toketa or Mate, or until Shimewaza/ Kansetsu-waza is applied by either contestant with immediate result.
The first score of Osaekomi is the winning score.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
In this case, the contestant shall win by the points scored.
If during the “Golden Score” contest a direct Hansoku-make is given, theresult for the penalized player will incur the same consequences as during anormal contest.
In the event that the Referee decides to penalize one contestant, he mustfirst consult with the Judges and make the decision based on the “majority of
three rule”.
5. Special situations on the “Golden Score”a) Should only one contestant exercise his right to fight the “Golden Score”
contest, and the other contestant declines, the contestant who wishes tofight shall be declared the winner by “Kiken-gachi”.

32b) In the case where both contestants score Ippon simultaneously during
the time allotted to the first contest, the contest shall be decided by the“Golden Score” contest. In the case of simultaneous Ippon during the“Golden Score” contest the Referee shall announce Mate, continuing thecontest without taking into account these actions for scoring purposes.
c) In the case where both contestants are penalized with accumulated
Hansoku-make (result from successive Shido) simultaneously, the contest
shall be decided by the “Golden Score” contest.
d) For direct Hansoku-make given to both contestants, the IJF Jury will decide.
6. CARE system
The CARE system as defined in these Rules and in the SOR, will fall underthe exclusive competence of the Refereeing Commission, and no one mayinterfere or define its operation outside the rules here listed or, in what was
not covered, by the decision made by the Refereeing Commission in thisregard.
Provides for the following situations of use:a) The Member of the Commission will intervene, stopping the contest andinforming the Referee and Judges, in the situations defined below.
b) The member of the Commission may give a positive assessment to all
Referees (without stopping the contest), when in his opinion, and after

2014-2016
viewing both the live action followed by the CARE system replay, he is inagreement with the Referee and Judges.
Mandatory reviewing using the CARE system in support of the decision on themat will be done under the following circumstances:a) Any decision involving the end of the contest, during the contest time aswell as in the period of “Golden Score”.
b) Kaeshi actions where there may be difficulty in the assessment of which
contestant had the final control of the action and thereby implying the endof the contest.
Viewing of the CARE system and subsequent communication with theReferees as regulated in this article shall be up to the discretion of theReferee Commission member that oversees the mat. There shall be no
unauthorized use or request of use of the CARE system other than by the
Referees Commission.

ARTICLE 20 - Ippon

1. The Referee shall announce Ippon when in his opinion the applied
technique corresponds to the following criteria:a) When a contestant with control throws the other contestant with a real
impact on his back with considerable force and speed. When the fall isrolled without real impact, it is not possible to consider it Ippon.
All situations in which one of the contestants deliberately makes a “bridge”(head and one foot or both feet in contact with the Tatami) after having
been thrown will be considered Ippon. This decision is taken for the safetyof the contestants so they do not try to escape from the technique andendanger their cervical spine. Also an attempt of a bridge (arching thebody) should be counted as a “bridge”.
b) When a contestant holds with Osaekomi-waza the other contestant, who isunable to get away for 20 seconds after the announcement of Osaekomi.
c) When a contestant gives up by tapping twice (2) or more with his handor foot or says Maitta (I give up!) generally as a result of Osaekomi-Waza,
Shime-waza or Kansetsu-waza.
d) When a contestant is incapacitated by the effect of a Shime-waza or
Kansetsu-waza.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
2. Equivalence
Should one contestant be penalized with Hansoku-make, the other contestantshall immediately be declared the winner with a score equivalent to Ippon.
3. Special situationsa) Simultaneous techniques. When both contestants fall to the Tatami after
what appears to be simultaneous attacks and the Referees cannot decide
which technique dominated there should be no score awarded.
b) In the case where both contestants score simultaneous Ippon the Referee
will act as regulated in article 19 paragraph 5.b.

ARTICLE 21 - Waza-ari
34

The Referee shall announce Waza-ari when in his opinion the applied
technique corresponds to the following criteria:a) When a contestant with control throws the other contestant, but thetechnique is partially lacking in one (1) of the other three (3) elements
necessary for Ippon (see Article 20 (a).
b) When a contestant holds with Osaekomi-waza the other contestant who
is unable to get away for 15 seconds or more, but less than 20 seconds.

ARTICLE 22 - Waza-ari-awasete-Ippon

Should one contestant gain a second Waza-ari in the contest, (see Article 22)
the Referee shall announce Waza-ari-awasete-Ippon.

ARTICLE 23 - Yuko

The Referee shall announce Yuko when in his opinion the applied techniquecorresponds to the following criteria:a) When a contestant with control throws the other contestant, but thetechnique is partially lacking in two (2) of the other three (3) elements
necessary for Ippon.
When a contestant throws his opponent, with control, and the opponent
falls on the side of the upper body it should be Yuko.

2014-2016
Examples:(1) Partially lacking in the element of “impact on the back” and is also
partially lacking in one of the other two (2) elements of “speed” or“force”.
(2) Impact on the back but partially lacking in both of the other twoelements of “speed” and “force”.
b) When a contestant holds with Osaekomi-waza the other contestant who isunable to get away for 10 seconds or more but less than 15 seconds.

APPENDIX Article 23 - Yuko

Regardless of how many Yukos are announced, no amount will be consideredequal to a Waza-ari. The total number announced will be recorded.

ARTICLE 24 - Osaekomi-waza

The Referee shall announce Osaekomi when in his opinion the applied
technique corresponds with the following criteria:a) The contestant being held must be controlled by his opponent and musthave his back, both shoulders and one shoulder in contact with the Tatami.
b) The control can be made from the side, from the rear or from on top.
c) The contestant applying the hold must not have his leg(s) or body controlled
by his opponent’s legs.
d) At least one contestant must have one part of his body touching thecontest area.
e) The contestant applying Osaekomi must have his body in either the Kesa,
the Shiho or Ura position, i.e. similar to the techniques Kesa Gatame,Kami-shiho-gatame or Ura-Gatame.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
APPENDIX Article 24 - Osaekomi-waza

Should a contestant who is controlling his opponent with an Osaekomi-Waza,changed without losing control, into another Osaekomi-Waza, the Osaekomitime will continue until the announcement of Ippon (or equivalence), Toketa
or Mate.
When Osaekomi is being applied, if the contestant who is in an advantageous
position commits an infringement meriting a penalty, the Referee shallannounce Mate, return the contestants to their standing positions, award thepenalty (and any score from the Osaekomi), then recommence the contest byannouncing Hajime.

36

When Osaekomi is being applied, if the contestant who is in a
disadvantageous position commits an infringement meriting a penalty, theReferee shall announce Sono-mama, award the penalty, then recommence
the contest by touching both contestants and announcing Yoshi. However,should the penalty to be awarded be Hansoku-make, the Referee shall, after
announcing
Sono-mama, consult with the other Referees, announce Mate to return thecontestants to their starting positions, then award Hansoku-makeand end the contest by announcing Sore-made.
If both table Judges agree that an Osaekomi exists, but the Referee has notannounced Osaekomi, they shall inform the Referee and by the “majority of
three” rule, the Referee shall announce Osaekomi immediately.
Toketa should be announced if, during Osaekomi, the contestant being held
succeeds in “scissoring” the other contestant’s leg (s), either from above orfrom below the leg.
In situations where the back of the contestant being held is no longer incontact with the Tatami, (e.g. “bridging”), but the contestant applying thehold maintains control, the Osaekomi shall continue.

ARTICLE 25 - Prohibited Acts and Penalties

The Prohibited Acts are divided into ‘Slight’ infringements (Shido) and‘Grave’ infringements (Hansoku-make).
SLIGHT INFRINGEMENTS: Will receive a penalty of Shido.

2014-2016
GRAVE INFRINGEMENTS: Will receive a penalty of direct Hansoku-make.
the Referee decide to penalize the contestant(s), (except in the case of Sonomama in Newaza) he shall temporarily stop the contest by announcing Mate,
indicate the appropriate gesture for transgression and announce the penalty
while pointing to the contestant(s) who committed the prohibited act.
During the fight there will be three Shido, and the fourth will be Hansokumake (3 warnings and then disqualification). Shido do not give points to theother fighter, only technical scores can give points on the scoreboard.
At the end of the fight, if scoring is equal on the scoreboard, the one withless Shido wins. If the fight continues to Golden Score, the first receiving a
Shido loses, or the first technical score will win.
Shido will be given to the fighter deserving it, in place, without having bothfighters return to the formal start position (Mate – Shido – Hajime) except
when a Shido is given for leaving the contest area.
There are several possibilities for disqualification (Hansoku-make). When an
athlete receives a Hansoku-make they may or may not be allowed to continue
in the competition if applicable.
In the case of Hansoku-make resulting from progressive penalties, thecontestant penalised with four shido is allowed to continue competition.
In the case of direct Hansoku-make for protection of the judoka (diving headfirst onto the mat), the judoka is allowed to continue competition.
In the case of direct Hansoku-make for acts against the spirit of judo the
judoka cannot continue in the competition. They will keep the position thatwas reached and the relevant WRL points will be awarded. In some cases,
depending on the situation, the IJF Jury may decide to give the athlete a
disciplinary sanction and to remove the position and/or WRL points.
In the case of a double Hansoku-make as a consequence of a fourth shido,
the result is considered equal and the Golden Score rule will be applied(situation similar to simultaneous ippon/victory).
For a direct Hansoku-make given to both contestants, the IJF Jury will
decide.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
In any case of misbehaviour by an athlete, which merits disqualification, theIJF Jury may exclude him from the rest of the championships.
Whenever a Referee awards a penalty, he should demonstrate with a simple
gesture the reason for the penalty.
A penalty can be awarded after the announcement of Sore-made for any
prohibited act done during the time allotted for the contest or, in some
exceptional situations, for serious acts done after the signal to end thecontest, as long as the decision has not been given.
SHIDO (Slight Infringements Group)(a) Shido is given to any contestant who has committed a slight infringement:
1. To intentionally avoid taking Kumikata in order to prevent action in thecontest. (See APPENDIX Article 25 - Prohibited Acts and Penalties- a)
Shido) *38

2. To adopt in a standing position, after Kumikata, an excessively defensive
posture. (Generally more than 5 seconds).
3. To make an action designed to give the impression of an attack but
which clearly shows that there was no intent to throw the opponent.
(False attack). False attacks are defined as:- Tori has no intention of throwing.
- Tori attacks without Kumikata or immediately releases the Kumikata.
- Tori makes a single attack or a number of repeated attacks with nobreaking of Uke’s balance.
- Tori put a leg in between Uke’s legs to block the possibility of an
attack.
4. In a standing position, to continually hold the opponent’s sleeve end(s)for a defensive purpose or to grasp by “screwing up” the sleeve end(s).
5. In a standing position, to continually keep the opponent’s fingers of one
or both hands interlocked, in order to prevent action in the contest. Or totake the wrist or the hands of the opponent only to avoid the grip or theattack on him should be penalized by Shido.
6. To intentionally disarrange his own Judogi or to untie or retie the belt or
the trousers without the Referee’s permission.
7. To pull the opponent down in order to start Newaza unless in accordance with
Article 16. (See APPENDIX Article 25 - Prohibited Acts and Penalties- a)
Shido ) *8. To insert a finger or fingers inside the opponent’s sleeve or bottom of his
trousers.

2014-2016
9. In a standing position to take any grip other than a “normal” grip
without attacking. (See APPENDIX Article 25 - Prohibited Acts andPenalties – a) Shido ) *10. In a standing position, before or after Kumikata has been established,
not to make any attacking moves. (See APPENDIX Article 25 Prohibited Acts and Penalties – a) Shido ) *11. To hold the opponent’s sleeve end(s) between the thumb and thefingers (“Pistol” grip).
12. To hold the opponent’s sleeve end(s) by folding it over (“Pocket” grip).
‘Pistol’ and ‘Pocket Grip’ on the bottom of the sleeve without immediate
attack is penalized by Shido.
13. To hug directly the opponent for a throw (Bear hug). However it is not a Shidowhen a contestant, Tori or Uke has Kumikata with a minimum of one hand, either
Tori or Uke has the possibility to hug the opponent for a throw (Bear hug). No
Shido.
14. To encircle the end of the belt or jacket around any part of the
opponent’s body. (See APPENDIX Article 25 - Prohibited Acts andPenalties – a) Shido) *15. To take the Judogi in the mouth (either his own or his opponent’s
Judogi).
16. To put a hand, arm, foot or leg directly on the opponent’s face. (SeeAPPENDIX Article 25 - Prohibited Acts and Penalties – a) Shido ) *17. To put a foot or a leg in the opponent’s belt, collar or lapel.
18. To apply Shime-waza using either your own or your opponents belt or
bottom of the jacket, or using only the fingers. (See APPENDIX Article
25 - Prohibited Acts and Penalties – a) Shido) *19. To go outside the contest area or intentionally force the opponent to go
outside the contest area either in standing position or in Newaza. (SeeArticle 9 - “Exceptions”).
If a contestant puts one foot outside of the contest area without
immediate attack or not returning immediately inside the contest area
is penalized by Shido. Two feet outside the contest area is penalized by
Shido.
If the contestant is pushed outside the contest area by his opponent,
then the opponent will receive a Shido. (If the fighters leave the contest
area, they are not penalized by Shido when the attack is engaged in avalid position).
20. To apply leg scissors to the opponent’s trunk (Dojime), neck or head.
(Scissor with crossed feet, while stretching out the legs).

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IJF Refereeing Rules
21. To kick with the knee or foot, the hand or arm of the opponent, inorder to make him release his grip or to kick the opponent’s leg or ankle
without applying any technique
22. To bend back the opponent’s finger(s) in order to break his grip.
23. Breaking the grip of the opponent with 2 hands.
24. Cover the upper part of the lapel of the Judogi jacket to prevent thegrip.
25. To force the opponent with either one or both arms to take a bending
position without immediate attack will be penalized by Shido for a
blocking attitude.
HANSOKU-MAKE (Grave Infringements Group)(a) Hansoku-make is given to any contestant who has committed a Grave
Infringement (or who having been given three (3) Shido, commits a further
Slight Infringement):40

1. To apply Kawazu-gake. (To throw the opponent by winding one leg
around the opponent’s leg, while facing more or less in the same
direction as the opponent and falling backwards into him). (SeeAPPENDIX Article 25 - Prohibited Acts and Penalties – b) HansokuMake) **2. To apply Kansetsu-waza anywhere other than to the elbow joint. (SeeAPPENDIX Article 25 - Prohibited Acts and Penalties – b) HansokuMake) **3. To lift off the Tatami the opponent who is lying on the Tatami and todrive him back into the Tatami.
4. To reap the opponents supporting leg from the inside when the opponent
is applying a technique such as Harai-goshi etc.
5. To disregard the Referee’s instructions.
6. To make unnecessary calls, remarks or gestures derogatory to the
opponent or Referee during the contest.
7. To make any action this may endanger or injure the opponent especiallythe opponent’s neck or spinal vertebrae, or may be against the spirit ofJudo.
8. To fall directly to the Tatami while applying or attempting to apply
techniques such as Ude-Hishigi-Waki-Gatame. (See APPENDIX Article
25 - Prohibited Acts and Penalties – b) Hansoku-Make) **2014-2016
9. To “dive” head first, onto the Tatami by bending forward and downward
while performing or attempting to perform techniques such as Uchimata, Harai-goshi, etc. or to fall directly backwards while performing or
attempting a technique.
10. To intentionally fall backwards when the other contestant is clinging
to his back and when either contestant has control of the other’s
movement.
11. To wear a hard or metallic object (covered or not).
12. All attacks or blocking with one or two hands or with one or two arms
below the belt in Tachi-Waza will be penalized by Hansoku-make. It
is possible to grip the leg only when the two opponents are in a clear
Newaza position and the Tachi-Waza action has stopped.
13. Any action against the spirit of Judo may be punished by a direct
Hansoku-Make at any time in the contest.
When a contestant has repeated slight infringements and is to be penalizedwith his fourth (4th) Shido the Referee, after consultation with the other
Referees, shall give the contestant “Hansoku-make”, that is to say that
the4th Shido is not announced as “Shido”, but shall be announced directly
as “Hansoku-make”. The contest ends according to the Article 19 (c).

APPENDIX Article 25 - Prohibited Acts and Penalties

Referees are authorized to award penalties according to the “intention ” orsituation and in the best interest of the sport.
Should the Referee decide to penalize the contestant(s), (except in thecase of Sono-mama in Newaza) he shall temporarily stop the contest byannouncing Mate, should penalize or return the contestants to their starting
positions (Article 17) and announce the penalty while pointing to thecontestant(s) who committed the prohibited act.
Before awarding Hansoku-make, the Referee must consult with the Judges
and make his decision in accordance with the “majority of three” rule. Where
both contestants infringe the rules at the same time, each should be awarded
a penalty according to the seriousness of the infringement.
Where both contestants have been given three (3) Shidos and subsequently
each receives a further penalty, they should both be declared Hansoku-make.
A penalty in Newaza should be applied in the same manner as in Osaekomi(Article 24 Appendix, the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs).

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IJF Refereeing Rules(a) Shido *1) When a contestant is breaking three times in the period of KumiKata the grip of his opponent, the Referee should penalize thiscontestant with Shido.
7) Where one contestant pulls his opponent down into Newaza notin accordance with Article 16 and his opponent does not takeadvantage of this to continue into Newaza, the Referee shallannounce Mate and give Shido to the contestant who has infringed
Article 16 (without returning to the starting position).
9) “Normal” Kumikata is taking hold the right side of the opponent’s
Judogi, be it the sleeve, collar, chest area, top of the shoulder orback with the left hand and with the right hand the left side of the
opponent’s Judogi be it the sleeve, collar, chest area, top of theshoulder or back and always above the belt or vice versa.
42

If a contestant continues to take an abnormal Kumikata, the timeallowed may be progressively reduced, and even to a “direct penalty”
of Shido.
As long as a contestant makes a cross grip, that means with two
hands, one hand on the opposite side of the back, shoulder or armof the other contestant, he should attack immediately or the Refereemust penalize with Shido. Under no circumstances it is permitted to
grab below the belt.
Cross gripping should be followed by an immediate attack. Samerule as for belt gripping and one side gripping.
A contestant should not be penalized for holding with an abnormal
grip if the situation has been brought about by his opponent
ducking his head beneath the holder’s arm. However, if a contestantis continually “ducking” this way, the Referee should giveconsideration as to whether he is adopting an “excessively defensive
posture” (2).
Hooking one leg between the opponent’s legs unless simultaneously
attempting a throwing technique is not considered to be the normal
Kumikata and the contestant must attack within 5 seconds or thecontestant will be penalised with “Shido”.

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10. “No-combativity” may be taken to exist when in general, forapproximately 25 seconds; there have been no attacking actions
on the part of one or both contestants. No-combativity should not
be awarded when there are no attacking actions, if the Referee
considers that the contestant is genuinely looking for the opportunity
to attack.
The Referees should penalize strictly the contestant who does notengage in a quick Kumikata or who tries not to be gripped by the
opponent.
14. The act of “encircling” means that the belt or jacket mustcompletely encircle. Using the belt or jacket as an “anchor” for agrip (without encircling), e.g. to trap the opponent’s arm, should not
be penalized.
16. The face means the area within the line bordered by the forehead,
the front of the ears and the jaw-line.
18. Point 18 will be strictly observed for Shime-waza is not allowedwith either your own or your opponents belt or bottom of the jacket,
or using only the fingers.
(b) Hansoku-make**
1. Even if the thrower twists/turns during the throwing action, thisshould still be considered “Kawazu-gake” and be penalised.
Techniques such as O soto-gari, O uchi-gari, and Uchi-mata where
the foot/leg is entwined with opponent’s leg will be permitted andshould be scored.
2. Kansetsu-waza is authorized for Cadets.
8. To attempt such throws as Harai-goshi, Uchi-mata, etc., with only
one hand gripping the opponent’s lapel from a position resembling
Ude-hishigi-waki-gatame (in which the wrist of the opponent istrapped beneath the thrower’s armpit) and deliberately falling, face
down, onto the Tatami is likely to cause injury and will be penalised.

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IJF Refereeing Rules
No intent to throw an opponent cleanly onto his back is a dangerous
action and will be treated in the same way as Ude-Hishigi-WakiGatame.
Strict application of the Refereeing Rules in the following fields
FORBIDDEN: Grips of legs and blocking:All direct attacks or blocking with one or two hands or with one or
two arms below the belt are prohibited.
Penalty: HANSOKU-MAKE
Examples:Hansoku-make blue
Extreme defensive position
Shido for both

44

ARTICLE 26 - Default and Withdrawal

The decision of Fusen-gachi shall be given to any contestant whose opponent
does not appear for his contest according to the 30 seconds rules.
Punctuality for contests (‘30 seconds rule’). - Applies to all IJF events.
Forfeit of a fight: If one contestant is ready on time and the Referee
Commission see that his opponent is not present they will ask the speaker toannounce ‘the last call for missing athlete’ (there will no longer be three calls
at one minute intervals).
The Referee will then invite the prepared contestant to wait at the edge ofthe competition area. The scoreboard will start to count down 30 seconds. If
at the end of 30 seconds the opponent is still not present the mat Referee
will invite the athlete to enter the competition area and will be declared thewinner by Fusen-gachi.
The athlete forfeiting a match may participate in the repechage provided the
IJF jury find that certain criteria are fulfilled.
The Referees must be sure before awarding Fusen-gachi that they havereceived the authority to do so by the Refereeing Commission.
The decision of Kiken-gachi shall be given to any contestant whose opponent
withdraws from the competition for any reason, during the contest.

2014-2016
APPENDIX Article 26 - Default and Withdrawal

Soft contact lens: - In the event that a contestant loses his contact lensduring the contest and cannot immediately recover them, and if he theninforms the Referee that he cannot continue competing without the contact
lens, the Referee shall give the victory to his opponent by Kiken-gachi after
consulting with the table Judges .

ARTICLE 27 - Injury, Illness or Accident

The decision of the contest where one contestant is unable to continue
because of injury, illness or accident during the contest shall be given by the
Referee after consultation with the other Referees according to the following
clauses:a) Injury(1) Where the cause of the injury is attributed to the injured
contestant he shall lose the contest.
(2) Where the cause of the injury is attributed to the uninjured
contestant the uninjured contestant shall lose the contest.
(3) Where it is impossible to determine which of the contestants
was the cause of the injury was, the contestant unable to continue
shall lose the contest.
b) Sickness
Generally, where one contestant is taken sick during a contest andis unable to continue, he shall lose the contest.
c) Accident
Where an accident occurs which is due to an outside influence (force
majeure), after consulting with the Referee Commission, the contest
shall be considered cancelled or postponed. In those cases of ‘force
majeure’, the Sports Director, the Sports Commission and/or the IJF
Jury will take the final decision.
Medical Examinationsa) The Referee shall call the Doctor to attend to a contestant who hasreceived a severe impact to the head or back (spinal column), or
whenever the Referee has reason to believe there may be a grave or

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IJF Refereeing Rules
serious injury. In either case, the Doctor will examine the contestantin the shortest time possible and indicate to the Referee whether thecontestant can continue or not.
If the Doctor, after examining an injured contestant, advises theReferees that the contestant cannot continue the contest theReferee, after consultation with the other Referees, shall end thecontest and declare the opponent to be the winner by Kiken-gachi.
b) The contestant may ask the Referee to call for the doctor, but in this casethe contest is terminated, and his opponent shall win by Kiken-gachi.
c) The Doctor may also ask to attend to his contestant, but in this casethe contest is terminated, and the opponent will win by Kiken-gachi.

46

In any case whenever the Referees are of the opinion that thecontest should not continue, the central Referee shall end thecontest and indicate the result in accordance with the rules.
Bleeding Injuries
When a bleeding injury occurs, the Referee shall call the Doctor to assist thecontestant in stopping and isolating the bleeding.
In cases of bleeding, for health reasons, the Referee shall call for the Doctor;
it is not allowed to compete while bleeding.
However, the same bleeding injury may be treated by the Doctor on two (2)occasions. The third (3rd) time that the same bleeding injury occurs, theReferee, after previous consultation with the other Referees, shall end thecontest for the contestant’s own safety and he shall declare the opponent
to be the winner by Kiken-gachi. In any case where the bleeding cannot be
contained and isolated, the opponent shall be the winner by Kiken-gachi.
Minor Injuries
A minor injury may be treated by the contestant himself. For example in thecase of a dislocated finger, the Referee shall stop the contest (by calling
Mate or Sono-mama) and allow the contestant to reset the dislocated finger.
This action should be done immediately with no assistance from the Refereeor the Doctor and the contestant can continue in the contest.
The contestant will be allowed to reset the same finger on two (2) occasions.
If the same dislocation occurs a third (3rd) time, the contestant shall not be2014-2016
considered to be in condition to continue in the contest. The Referee, after
previous consultation with the Judges, shall end the contest and declare theopponent to be the winner by Kiken-gachi.
The doctors of the organizing committee or the accredited doctors of theteams intervene upon request of the referees.
The doctors of the organizing committee or teams’ doctors must be able tointervene on the field of play, at their own request, when deemed necessary,in case of danger to the athlete(s) health i.e. a bad landing on the head or a
strangulation.
For justifying this exceptional request, they should stand at the edge of thecompetition surface showing two arms in cross in the height of the chest to
inform the referee that they wish to make an emergency intervention. The
referee must allow the doctor to enter the tatami while stopping the contest.
Three cases are possible:
s The team doctor/ local organization doctor announces that the athlete
cannot continue the contest because their health is in danger. The
opponent will be declared winner by fusen-gachi.
s The team doctor/ local organization doctor announces that the athlete
can continue without danger to their health, and if agreed by the IJF
Jury the contest continues.
s If the intervention of the team’s doctor is not justified by the IJF Juryand Medical Commission delegate a final decision will be made about
the continuation of the contest and will make an official report.
Refer to SOR Appendix E.

APPENDIX Article 27 - Injury, Illness or Accident

If during the contest a contestant is injured due to an action by the opponent
and the injured contestant cannot continue, the Referees should analyse thecase and make a decision based on the rules. Each case shall be decided on
its own merit. (See paragraph: a) Injury 1, 2 and 3).
Generally only one (1) Doctor for each contestant is allowed on thecompetition area. Should a Doctor require an assistant(s), the Referee must47

IJF Refereeing Rules
first be informed. The coach is never allowed on the competition area.
The Referee shall draw near to the injured contestant to ensure that theassistance provided by the Doctor is within the Rules.
However the Referee may consult with the Judges in case he needs tocomment on any decision.
Medical Assistance
The medical assistance in the following cases should be outside of thecompetition area, close to the table of Judges and the injured contestantmust be accompanied by one of the judges.
a) In a minor injury
In the case of a broken nail, the Doctor is allowed to assist in cutting thenail. The Doctor may also help in adjusting a Scrotum injury (testicles).

48b) In a bleeding injury
For safety measures whenever there is blood it must always be completely
isolated with the assistance of the Doctor by means of adhesive tape,bandages, nasal tampons, (the use blood clotters and haemostatics
products is permitted). When the Doctor is called to assist a contestant,such medical assistance should be given as quickly as possible.
Note: With the exception of the above situations, if the Doctor applies any
treatment the opponent shall win by Kiken-gachi.
Types of Vomiting
Any type of vomiting by a contestant shall result in Kiken-gachi for the othercontestant. (See paragraph: b) Sickness).
In the case where a contestant through a deliberate action causes an injury to the
opponent, the penalty given to the contestant inflicting the injury on the opponent
shall be a direct Hansoku-make, apart from any other disciplinary action that may
be taken by the Sports Director, the Sport Commission and/or the IJF Jury.
When a Doctor clearly realises - especially in the case of Shime-waza – that there
is a serious danger to the health of one of the contestant that he is responsible
for, he can go to the edge of the competition area and call upon the Referees
to immediately stop the contest. The Referees shall take all necessary steps
to assist the Doctor. Such an intervention will necessarily mean the loss of thecontest for his contestant and should therefore only be taken in extreme cases.

2014-2016
If a Cadet loses consciousness during Shime-waza they are no longer able tocontinue in the competition.
At the IJF Championships, the official team Doctor shall have a medical
degree and must register prior to the competition. He shall be the only
person allowed to sit in the designated area and must be so identified. e.g.
by wearing a Red Cross arm-band or waistcoat.
When accrediting a Doctor for their team, the National Federations must takethe responsibility for the actions of their Doctors. The Doctors must be awareof any amendments and the interpretations of the Rules.

ARTICLE 28 - Situations not Covered by the Rules

Where any situation arises which is not covered by these rules, it shall be
dealt with and a decision given by the Referees after consultation with theRefereeing Commission.
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NOTES

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IJF Refereeing Rules

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