International Judo Federation Announcement: All Olympic Qualification Events cancelled until End of April
In light of the continuous new developments in the COVID-19 crisis and the deterioration of the situation in many countries, traveling has become more and more risky, and so have become any public gatherings.
We are in the unfortunate position where we must take a drastic decision in order to protect the judo family and also to comply with the general safety measures all around the world.
The decisions made by the IJF are as follow:
- The ranking points obtained by the athletes until today, March 9, are valid - with the exception of Rabat Grand Prix which did not take place.
- IJF freezes the IJF Calendar and all Olympic qualification tournaments until April 30, 2020, starting with Ekaterinburg Grand Slam.
- IJF intends to hold the Baku Grand Slam and the Master Qatar as planned, provided the global health situation improves.
- In June, Budapest Grand Prix will become Grand Slam.
- Continental Championships planned in period until April 30, 2020 will be postponed
- All Cadet and Junior events are also cancelled until April 30, 2020
- The Olympic qualification period will be extended until June 30, 2020
“Of course, this is heartbreaking news for US and all judokas internationally,” said USA Judo CEO, Keith Bryant. “These cancelations and precautionary actions that impact sport and ways of life throughout the world are unprecedented and extremely fluid. We will continue to work with the International Judo Federation and Pan American Judo Federation as they determine their next steps and we will update membership accordingly.”
More information and resources about Coronavirus can be found on the USA Judo website at: https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Judo/GeneralPages/2020/USA-Judo-Coronavirus-and-SafeSport-Update