The competition area shall be divided into two (2) zones. The demarcation between these two (2) zones shall be called the danger zone and shall be indicated by a red area, approximately 1m wide, forming part of or attached to the contest area, parallel to the four (4) sides of the competition area.

The area within and including the danger zone, shall be called the contest area and shall always be of a minimum of 8m x 8m or a maximum of 10m x 10m. The area outside the danger zone shall be called the safety area and shall be 3m wide.

A strip of blue and a strip of white adhesive tape, approximately 10cm wide and 50cm long shall be fixed on the centre of the contest area 4m apart, to indicate the starting positions at which the contestants must start and end the contest. The blue tape shall be to the Referee's right and the white to his left.

The competition area must be fixed to a resilient floor or platform (see Appendix).

Where two (2) or more adjoining competition areas are used, a common safety area of between 3m and 4m is necessary.

A free zone, a minimum of 50cm must be maintained around the competition area.


For Olympic Games, World Championships, Continental and IJF events, the contest area, generally, must be 8m x 8m.

Tatamis

Generally measuring 1m x 2m, made of pressed straw or, more frequently, pressed foam.

They must be firm under foot, have the property of absorbing shock during Ukemi, and not be slippery or too rough.

The elements making up the surface for the competition must be aligned without space in between be smooth of surface and fixed in such a way that they cannot be displaced.

Platform

The platform is optional and must be solidly made of wood, while still having a certain resilience and measuring approximately 18m x 18m and no more 1m in height (generally 50cm or less).

(When using a platform, it is recommended that the safety area should be 4m wide all around the competition area).

b) Chairs and Flags (Judges)
Two (2) lightweight chairs must be placed on the safety area at diagonally opposite corners of the contest area and in a position so as not to obstruct the Judges, Commission members and Scoreboard Keepers view of the scoreboard. A blue and a white flag shall be placed in a holster affixed to each chair.

c) Scoreboards
For each competition area there shall be two (2) scoreboards that indicate the scores horizontally, not exceeding 90cm in height and 2m in width, placed outside the competition area where they can be easily seen by the Referees, Commission members, officials and spectators.

The penalty points shall be immediately converted to the opponent’s technical scores and recorded on the scoreboards. However, the scoreboards must be manufactured with a device that indicates the penalties received by the contestants. (See Appendix Example).
Whenever electronic scoreboards are used, manual scoreboards must be available as a backup (see Appendix).

d) Timing Clocks
There shall be timing clocks as follows:

Whenever electronic timing clocks are used, manual timing clocks must also be used to check their accuracy (see Appendix).

e) Flags (Timekeepers)
Timekeepers shall use flags as follows;

f) Time Signal
There shall be a bell or similar audible device to indicate to the Referee the end of the time allotted for the contest.

g) Blue and White Judogis
The contestant shall wear either a blue or white Judogi. (The first Contestant called shall wear the blue Judogi; the second shall wear the white.)

Position of Scoreboard Keepers / Contest Sheet Writers / Timekeepers

The Contest Sheet Writers, Scoreboard Keepers and Timekeepers must be facing the Referee.

Distance of Spectators

In general the spectators should not be permitted closer than 3m to the competition area (or platform).

Timing Clocks and Scoreboards

The timing clocks must be accessible to those persons responsible for maintaining their accuracy, and they must be checked for accuracy at the start of 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 electronic equipment, in case of failure of the electronic timing clocks. The manual scoreboards must be available in reserve.

Manual Scoreboards

- Blue has scored Waza-ari and has also been penalised two (2) Shidos.
- White receives Yuko immediately as a result of blue's two (2) Shidos.

The contestants shall wear a Judogi complying with the following conditions:

b) Blue for the first contestant and white or off-white for the second contestant. (See Appendix).

If the Judogi of a contestant does not comply with this article, the Referee must order the contestant to change in the shortest possible time, into a Judogi which does comply with the article.

The contestant’s spare Judogi should be brought by the coach to his chair at the edge of the competition area.

To ensure that the sleeves of the contestant's jacket are the required length, the Referee shall direct the contestant to raise both arms, fully extended forward at shoulder level, when making the control.

Judogi size:

Judogi is controlled twice: the first is at sewing the back identification 、 and the second is before each contest.  

Organizers of the tournament must prepare reserve judogis at Olympics, WC, JRWC, and Team WC .

* Guideline for judogi manufactures

Materials of jacket are recommended using more than 70% cotton, and weight of the materials are recommended to be less than 1 kg/ ㎡ .

A cuff on a sleeve must be no more than 3 cm wide without protuberances.

Width of seam on the back must be no more than 3 cm.

A cuff on a trouser leg must be no more than 3 cm wide without protuberances.

(a) The Judogi shall be clean, generally dry and without unpleasant odour.

(b) The nails of the feet and hands shall be cut short.

(c) The personal hygiene of the contestant shall be of a high standard.

(d) Long hair shall be tied so as to avoid causing inconvenience to the other contestant.

Generally, the contest shall be conducted by one Referee and two (2) Judges under the supervision of the Refereeing Commission. The Referee and Judges shall be assisted by Scoreboard Keepers and Timekeepers.

The Referee’s uniform shall conform with the dress code of the Organization.

The Timekeepers, Contest Sheet Writers and Scoreboard Keepers as well as other technical assistants must be a minimum of 21 years of age, have a minimum of three (3) years experience as national Referee and a good knowledge of the Refereeing Rules.

The Organising Committee shall ensure that they have been thoroughly trained as technical officials. There shall be a minimum of two (2) Timekeepers; one to register the real contest time and one to specialise in Osaekomi time.
If possible there should be a third person to supervise the two (2) Timekeepers to avoid any errors due to mistakes or forgetfulness.

The overall Timekeeper (real contest time) shall start the clock on hearing the announcement of Hajime or Yoshi and shall stop it on hearing the announcement 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 or Mate he shall stop the clock and indicate the number of seconds elapsed to the Referee. On expiry of the time for Osaekomi (25 seconds or 20 seconds if the contestant applying the hold has already been awarded a Waza-ari or the contestant being held has been already penalised three(3) Shidos) he shall indicate the end of the Osaekomi by means of an audible signal.

The Osaekomi Timekeeper shall raise a green flag whenever he starts the clock 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 or Sono-mama, or on expiry of the time for Osaekomi.

The overall Timekeeper (real contest time) shall raise a yellow flag whenever he 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 on hearing Hajime or Yoshi.

When the time allowed for the contest has expired, the Timekeepers shall notify the Referee of this fact by a clearly audible signal (see Articles 10, 11 and 12 of the Refereeing Rules).

The Scoreboard Keeper must ensure that he is thoroughly familiar with the current 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 to record the overall course of the contests.

If electronic systems are used, the procedure shall be the same as described above. However manual timing clocks must also be used simultaneously with the electronic equipment to ensure their accuracy and manual scoreboard must be available in reserve.

The Referee shall generally stay within the contest area. He shall conduct the contest and administer the decisions. He shall ensure that the decisions are correctly recorded.

The Referee should ensure that all is in good order e.g. competition area, equipment, uniforms, hygiene, technical officials etc. before starting the contest.

While announcing an opinion and making the appropriate gesture, the Referee should bring at least one Judge within his line of sight in order to be immediately aware of any differing opinion. However the Referee must make sure not to lose sight of the contestants’ continuing action at any time.

In cases when both contestants are in Newaza and facing outwards, the Referee may observe the action from the safety area.

Before officiating a contest, the Referees and Judges should familiarise themselves with the 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. When assuming control of a competition area the Referee and Judges should ensure that the mat surface is clean and in good condition, that there are no gaps between the Tatamis, that the Judges chairs are in position and that the contestants comply with Articles 3 and 4 of the Refereeing Rules.

The Referees should ensure that there are no spectators, supporters or photographers in a position to cause a nuisance or a risk of injury to the contestants.

The Judges must assist the Referee and sit opposite each other at two (2) corners outside the contest area. Each Judge must indicate his opinion by making the appropriate official gesture, whenever his opinion differs from that of the Referee on a technical evaluation or a penalty announced by the Referee.

Should the Referee express an opinion on a technical result or a penalty of a higher degree than that of the two (2) Judges, he must adjust his evaluation to that of the Judge expressing the higher evaluation.

Should the Referee express an opinion on a technical result or a penalty of a lower degree than that of the two (2) Judges, he must adjust his evaluation to that of the Judge expressing the lower evaluation.

Should one Judge express an opinion of a higher degree and the other Judge an opinion of a lower degree than that of the Referee, the Referee must maintain his opinion.

Should both Judges express a judgment different from that of the Referee, and the Referee does not notice their signals, they should stand up and maintain their gesture until the Referee is informed of this and rectifies his evaluation. If after an appreciable time (a few seconds) the Referee has not noticed the standing Judges, the Judge who is closest to the Referee must immediately approach him and inform him of the majority opinion.

A Judge must, with the appropriate gesture, express his opinion about the validity of any action on the edge or outside of the contest area.

A Discussion is possible and necessary only if the Referee or one of the Judges has clearly seen something which was not visible to the other two (2), and which could change their decision.

The Judges must also ensure that the scores recorded by the Scoreboard Keepers are the scores announced by the Referee.

Should a contestant need to temporarily leave the competition area after the contest has started for a reason considered necessary by the Referee, a Judge must obligatorily go with the contestant to see that no anomaly occurs. This authorisation shall be given only in exceptional circumstances (e.g. to change a Judogi which does not conform with the rules).

The Referee and Judges should leave the competition area during presentations or any lengthy delay in the program.

The Judges should sit with both feet apart, outside the contest area and place their hands, palms facing down, on their inner thighs.

Should a Judge notice that the scoreboard is incorrect he should draw the Referee's attention to the mistake.

A Judge must be quick to remove himself and his chair should his position endanger the contestants.

A Judge should not pre-empt the Referee's signal for a score.

When an action occurs on the edge, the Judge should make the gesture immediately to show if the action is Jonai (In) or Jogai (Out).

Should a contestant have to change any part of the Judogi outside the competition area, and the Judge to accompany the contestant is not of the same sex, an official designated by the Refereeing Director shall substitute for the Judge and accompany the contestant.

If his competition area is not in use and there is a contest in progress on an adjacent competition area, the Judge should remove his chair if it could endanger the contestants.

a) The Referee

The Referee shall make gestures as indicated below when taking the following actions:

b) The Judges

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, then sideways to the correct finishing position.

Koka, Yuko, Waza-ari gestures should be maintained while moving to ensure that the score is clearly visible to the Judges. However, care should be taken when turning to keep the contestants within view.

Should both contestants be given a penalty, the Referee should make the proper gesture and point alternately at both contestants (left forefinger for contestant 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 the contest, take one step forward, indicate the winner and then take one step back.

Referee

The contest shall be fought in the contest area. Any technique applied when one or both contestants are outside the contest area shall not be recognised. For example if one contestant has at least one of his feet, hands or knees outside the contest area while standing or more than half of his body outside the contest area while doing Sutemi-waza, he shall be considered as being outside the contest area.

Exceptions:

In the case of Osaekomi on the edge if the one part of the contestant still touching the contest area becomes airborne (i.e. it is raised up and loses contact with the Tatami) the Referee must announce Mate.

As the red danger zone is part of the contest area, any contestant whose feet are still touching the red danger zone in the standing position shall be considered as being within the contest area.

When performing Sutemi-waza, a throw is considered valid if the thrower has one half or more of his body within the contest area. (Therefore, neither foot of the thrower shall leave the contest area before his back or hips touch the Tatami.)

Once the contest has started, the contestants may only leave the competition area if given permission to do so by the Referee. Permission will only be given in very exceptional circumstances, such as the necessity to change a Judogi which does not comply with Article 3 or which has become damaged or soiled.

For the World Championships and Olympic Games, the time duration of contests is:

Any contestant is entitled to a 10 minutes rest between contests.

The duration of the contests and the contest form shall be determined according to the rules of the tournament.

The Referee should be aware of the duration of the contest before coming onto the competition area.

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

The end of the time allotted for the contest shall be indicated to the Referee by the ringing of a bell or other similar audible 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 be heard over the noise of the spectators.

- An Osaekomi of less than 10 seconds will be counted the same as an attack.

When Osaekomi is announced simultaneously with the time signal or when the remaining time is insufficient to allow for the completion of the Osaekomi, the time allotted for the contest shall be extended until either Ippon (or equivalence) is announced or the Referee announces Toketa or Mate.

Any immediate result of a technique started simultaneously with the time signal shall be valid.

In the case of Osaekomi announced simultaneously with the time signal, the time allotted for the contest shall be extended until either Ippon (or equivalence) is scored or the Referee announces Toketa or Mate.

Any technique applied after the ringing of the bell or other device to indicate the expiry of the time of the contest shall not be valid, even if the Referee has not yet announced Sore-made.

Although a throwing technique may be applied simultaneously with the bell, if the Referee decides that it will not be effective immediately, he shall announce Sore-made.

Before the start of each contest the Referee and Judges shall stand together centred just inside the limits of the competition area and bow to Joseki before taking their places.
Before leaving the competition area, they also must bow towards Joseki.

The contestants must bow when stepping on and off the competition area at the start and end of each contest.

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 the Referee’s position), and remain standing there. A the signal from the Referee, the contestants shall move forward to their respective starting positions and bow simultaneously towards each other and take a step forward from the left foot. 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.

The contestants are free to bow when entering or leaving the contest area, although it is not compulsory.
(See Bowing Guide).

The contest shall always begin in the standing position.

Only the members of the Refereeing Commission may interrupt the contest. (See Article 17)

The Referee and Judges shall always be in position to start the contest before the arrival on the contest area of the contestants. The Referee shall stand in the middle, 2m back from the line between where the contestants start. He shall be facing the Timekeepers’ table.

It is very important to perform the bow in a very correct way.
When the contestants walk to their starting position and are facing each other, they shall officially bow under the strict control of the Referee, repeating this procedure at the end of the contest. If the contestants do not bow, the Referee shall direct the contestants to do so.

All standing bows by the contestants shall be at an angle of 30 degrees measured at the waist.

Bowing Procedure – see Bowing Guide.

The contestants shall be able to change from the standing position to Newaza in the following cases but if the technique used is not continuous, the Referee shall order both contestants to resume the standing position:

When one contestant pulls his opponent down into Newaza not in accordance with Article 16 and his opponent does not take advantage of this to continue into Newaza, the Referee shall announce Mate, stop the contest and penalise with Shido the contestant who has infringed Article 27 (8). (See Article 27 Appendix, the 5th paragraph).

When one contestant pulls his opponent down into Newaza not in accordance with Article 16 and his opponent takes advantage of this to continue into Newaza, the contest shall be allowed to continue but the Referee shall penalise with Shido the contestant who has infringed Article 27 (8). (See Article 27 Appendix, the 5th paragraph).

The Referee shall announce Mate in order to stop the contest temporarily in the following cases; and to recommence the contest, he shall announce Hajime:

The Referee having announced Mate, must take care to maintain the contestants within his view, in case they do not hear Mate announced and continue fighting.

The Referee should not call Mate to stop the contestant(s) going outside the contest area, unless the situation is considered dangerous.

The Referee should not announce Mate when a contestant, who has escaped e.g. from Osaekomi-waza, Shime-waza, Kansetsu-waza, appears in need of or calls for a rest.

The Referee should announce Mate when a contestant who is face down on the Tatami, with his opponent clinging to his back, succeeds in rising to a half standing position, with his hands clear of the Tatami, indicating a loss of control by the opponent.

Should the Referee call Mate in error during Newaza and the contestants therefore separate, the Referee and Judges may, if possible, and in accordance with the "majority of three" rule, replace 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.

After the announcement of Mate, the contestants must quickly return to their starting positions.

When the Referee has announced Mate, the contestant(s) must either stand if being spoken to or adjusting their Judogis, or sit if a lengthy delay is envisaged. Only when receiving medical attention should a contestant be permitted to adopt any other position.

The Referee shall announce Mate in order to call for the doctor, either when the contestant or the doctor himself so requests or when the Referee considers it is necessary. (See Article 29).

In any case where the Referee wishes to temporarily stop the contest (e.g. to address one or both contestants without causing a change in their positions, or to award a penalty so that the contestant who is not penalised does not lose his position of advantage), he shall announce Sono-mama.
To recommence the contest, he shall announce Yoshi.
Sono-mama can only be applied in Newaza.

Whenever the Referee announces Sono-mama, he must ensure that there is no change in the position or grip of either contestant.

If during Newaza a contestant shows signs of injury, the Referee may separate the contestants if necessary after announcing Sono-mama and then return the contestants to the positions they held before the announcement of Sono-mama - and then announce Yoshi.

The Referee shall announce Sore-made and end the contest:

The Referee shall direct the contestants to adjust their Judogis, if necessary, prior to indicating the result.

Before each “Golden Score” contest, the timing clocks and scoreboards shall be fully reset as if for a new contest.

In the “Golden Score” contest, when one contestant is being held and “Osaekomi” has been announced, the Referee shall allow the hold down to continue for the 25 seconds (Ippon), until Toketa or Mate, or until Shime-waza/Kansetsu-waza is applied by either contestant with immediate result. In this case, the contestant shall win by the points scored.

If during the “Golden Score” contest a direct Hansoku-make is given, the result for the penalised player will incur the same consequences as during a normal contest.

The Referee shall announce Ippon when in his opinion the applied technique corresponds to the following criteria:

Equivalence: Should one contestant be penalised with Hansoku-make, the other contestant shall immediately be declared the winner

Simultaneous Ippons - See Article 19 (f) (4).

Simultaneous techniques: when both contestants fall to the Tatami after what appears to be simultaneous attacks, and the Referee and Judges cannot decide which technique dominated there should be no score awarded.

Should the Referee announce Ippon during Newaza in error and the contestants therefore separate, the Referee and Judges shall, if possible, and in accordance with the "majority of three" rule, replace the contestants into as close to their original positions as possible and restart the contest, if so doing will rectify an injustice to one of the contestants.

If one of the contestants deliberately makes a "bridge" (head and one foot or both feet in contact with the Tatami) after having been thrown - although he may have avoided the necessary criteria for Ippon, the Referee shall nonetheless award Ippon or any other score he considers the technique warrants, in order to discourage this action.

Using Kansetsu-waza in order to throw the opponent will not be considered for point scoring purposes.

NOTE: For Olympic Games, World Championships, Continental and IJF events, the rules shall be applied as stated. For National events, the organisers are authorised to make such provisions as are appropriate for the safety of the contestants at the level to which the tournament applies. For example, in lower grade competitions, the organisers may authorise the Referees to award Ippon when the effect of a technique is sufficiently apparent, or for children's events, they may disallow Shime-waza and Kansetsu-waza altogether.

Should one contestant gain a second Waza-ari in the contest, (see Article 23) the Referee shall announce Waza-ari-awasete-ippon.

The Referee shall announce Sogo-gachi in the following cases:

Simultaneous Sogo-gachi - See Article 19 (f) (4).

The Referee shall announce Waza-ari when in his opinion the applied technique corresponds to the following criteria:

Equivalence: Should one contestant have been penalised three (3) Shidos, the other contestant shall receive Waza-ari immediately.

The Referee shall announce Yuko when in his opinion the applied technique corresponds to the following criteria:

Equivalence: Should one contestant have been penalised two (2) Shidos, the other contestant shall receive Yuko immediately.

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

The Referee shall announce Koka when in his opinion the applied technique corresponds to the following criteria:

Equivalence: Should one contestant have been penalised one (1) Shido, the other contestant shall receive Koka immediately.

Regardless of how many Kokas are announced, no amount will be considered being equal to a Yuko or a Waza-ari. The total number announced will be recorded.

Throwing an opponent on the front of his body, knee(s), hand(s), or elbow(s) will only be counted as the same as any other attack. Similarly an Osaekomi of up to nine (9) seconds will be counted as an attack.

The Referee shall announce Osaekomi when in his opinion the applied technique corresponds with the following criteria:

Should a contestant who is controlling his opponent with an Osaekomi-waza, change without losing control, into another Osaekomi-waza, the Osaekomi time 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 shall announce Mate, return the contestants to their starting positions, award the penalty (and any score from the Osaekomi), then recommence the contest by announcing Hajime.

When Osaekomi is being applied, if the contestant who is in a disadvantageous position commits an infringement meriting a penalty, the Referee 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 Judges, announce Mate to return the contestants to their starting positions, then award Hansoku-make and end the contest by announcing Sore-made.

If both Judges agree that an Osaekomi exists, but the Referee has not announced Osaekomi, they shall make the Osaekomi gesture and, by the "majority of three" rule, the Referee shall announce Osaekomi immediately.

The Referee shall announce Mate in the case of "Osaekomi on the edge", when the one part of the contestant still touching the contest area, becomes airborne (i.e. it is raised up and loses contact with the Tatami).

Toketa should be announced if, during Osaekomi, the contestant being held succeeds in "scissoring" the other contestant's leg, either from above or from below the leg.

In situations where the back of the contestant being held is no longer in contact with the Tatami, (e.g. "bridging"), but the contestant applying the hold maintains control, the Osaekomi shall continue.

The Prohibited Acts are divided into ‘Slight’ infringements (Shido) and ‘Grave’ infringements (Hansoku-make).

SLIGHT INFRINGEMENTS: Will receive a penalty of Shido.

GRAVE INFRINGEMENTS: Will receive a penalty of direct Hansoku-make.

The Referee shall award a penalty of Shido or Hansoku-make depending on the seriousness of the infringement.
The awarding of a second or subsequent Shido automatically reflects on the opponent’s technical score. The previous score corresponding to the earlier penalty is removed and the next higher score shall be recorded immediately.

The awarding of a direct Hansoku-make means the contestant is disqualified and excluded from the tournament, and the contest ends according to the Article 19 (d). (See Appendix).

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 the contest, 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:

(b) Hansoku-make is given to any contestant who has committed a Grave Infringement (or who having been given three (3) Shidos, commits a further Slight Infringement):

Should the Referee decide to penalise the contestant(s), (except in the case of Sono-mama in Newaza) he shall temporarily stop the contest by announcing Mate, return the contestants to their starting positions and announce the penalty while pointing to the contestant(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 26 Appendix, the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs).

The decision of Fusen-gachi shall be given to any contestant whose opponent does not appear for his contest. A contestant, who is not at his starting position after three (3) calls at one (1) minute intervals, will forfeit the contest.

The Referee must be sure before awarding Fusen-gachi that he has received 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.

Soft contact lens: - In the event that a contestant loses his contact lens during the contest and cannot immediately recover them, and if he then informs 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 Judges.

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 Judges according to the following clauses:

(a) Injury

(b) Sickness

Generally, where one contestant is taken sick during a contest and is 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 Examinations

In any case whenever the Referee and Judges are of the opinion that the contest should not continue, the Referee shall end the contest and indicate the result in accordance with the rules.

BLEEDING INJURIES
When a bleeding injury occurs, the Referee shall call the Doctor to assist the contestant 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, the Referee, after previous consultation with Judges, shall end the contest 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 the case 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 Referee or 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 considered to be in condition to continue in the contest. The Referee, after previous consultation with Judges, shall end the contest and declare the opponent to be the winner by Kiken-gachi.

If during the contest a contestant is injured due to an action by the opponent and the injured contestant cannot continue, the Referees should analyze the case 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 the competition area. Should a Doctor require an assistant(s), the Referee must first be informed.

The coach is never allowed on the competition area.

When the Doctor is called, the Judges shall remain seated and observe the situation. Only the Referee shall draw near to the injured contestant to ensure that the assistance provided by the Doctor is within the Rules.
However the Referee may call the Judges in case he needs to comment on any decision.

Medical Assistance.-

Note: With the exception of the above situations, if the Doctor applies any treatment the opponent shall win by Kiken-gachi.

Types of Vomiting.-

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 which may be taken by the Sports Director, the Sports Commission and/or the IJF Jury.

When a Doctor clearly realizes - 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 the contest for his contestant and should therefore only be taken in extreme cases.

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.

When accrediting a Doctor for their team, the National Federations must take the responsibility for the actions of their Doctors.

The Doctors must be aware of any amendments and the interpretations of 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 the Refereeing Commission.

The following Bowing Guide is adapted from the I.J.F. Bowing Guide.

A part of the etiquette of Judo, the rei, is a tradition which reflects the respect and discipline that permeates the unique activities of our sport. The guide for bowing, therefore, should be followed in a respectful fashion.

All standing rei should be at an angle of 30 degrees as measured at the waist.

1. Initial Rei - Opening Ceremonies

2. Final Rei - Closing Ceremony

REFEREE AND JUDGES

3. At the Beginning of the Individual Contest

4. Following Referee and Judges

5. Exchange of Function Between the Referee and Judge

7. Referee Team at the End of the Shiai

CONTESTANTS

8. Contestants Entering and Leaving the Competition Area

9. Tachi Rei Between Contestants

Contestants are required to adhere to the guidelines in this bowing guide and the IJF Refereeing Rules. Contestants who do not bow in accordance with these guidelines will be requested to do so. Those that refuse will be reported to the IJF Sports Director or Tournament Director. Under the authority of the Directors of the event the contestant will be disqualified from further competition and in the case of a medal contest, will be stripped of the medal and/or placement.

SUMMARY

The bowing etiquette sets Judo uniquely apart from other international sports. The gestures are of respect, appreciation and courtesy. The referee and judges have a fundamental role in upholding this uniqueness by ensuring that bowing is done according to these guidelines.