The preparation for Tokyo Olympics set for 2020 are well under way. And the grappling community just got some exciting news. The games are now set to feature a Judo Mixed Team event.
The competition format of the mixed team event will see teams of three male judoka (-73kg, -90kg +90kg) and three female judoka (-57kg, -70kg, +70kg) join forces to bid to become the inaugural Olympic Judo Team Champions. Athletes will come from the individual competition and the format will be a quarter-final repechage, with the four best teams seeded. The schedule will see the final block composed of the medal contests only, all taking place on one mat. A minimum of 12 teams will be expected to take part in this exciting format.
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A total of 15 events were added to the Olympic Games. The IJF successfully applied after a long lobby. It will give the team event in Judo an tremendous boost including the 2017 World Championships in Budapest which will count heavily on the IJF Team Ranking according to judoinside.com.
IJF President Marius Vizer: “The Judo Mixed Team Event in the Olympic Games is a dream come true for the Judo Family and the fact that we will start in Tokyo, the homeland of our sport makes it all more special. We would like to thank Japan for all their support and for the chance to have this event for the first time in Tokyo! I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to all the judoka in the world for their contribution to the development and promotion of our sport and its values worldwide. I would also like to thank all international media and our sponsors and partners for their big support in the development and promotion of our beautiful sport.”
“I believe the Mixed Team Event in the Olympics will strongly contribute to the popularity of the Olympic Movement and to the values of the Olympic Games.”
The President of the European Judo Union, Mr. Sergey Soloveychik, expressed his gratefulness;
“I would like to congratulate our international judo community with the Mixed Team Judo Event being added to the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 program. Thanks to the tireless efforts of President Marius Vizer and his team, the IJF application has been accepted by the IOC. This achievement opens a new page in the history of judo and pushes our sport to a new level, and I am happy that in Japan, where judo will return to its motherland, the widest audience will witness an exciting and dynamic team competition in addition to outstanding individual performances. The mixed judo team event shows the importance of friendship, respect, mutual support and peaceful cooperation between nations and genders, which makes it a very important message to the humanity.”
