Para Judo

Contact, control, and technique in the service of inclusion. Para judo adapts traditional judo for athletes with visual impairments, while respecting its fundamental principles. The match begins with an initial grip and tactile markings on the tatami, ensuring safety, fairness, and high-level competition.

Judokas are classified according to their degree of visual impairment (B1, B2, B3), ensuring fair competition. Classification is fundamental to the integrity of the sport. Many of the techniques from conventional judo are applied, including throws (nage-waza), holds (osaekomi-waza), strangles (shime-waza), and joint locks (kansetsu-waza)

At the start, competitors must maintain an initial grip (Kumi-kata) before the match begins, allowing for constant and safe contact. The competition area has tactile markings to help judokas orient themselves and stay within the boundaries. The same scoring system as conventional judo is used (ippon, waza-ari, yuko), with some adaptations to reflect the particularities of Para Judo. The same penalties and fouls as in conventional judo apply (shido, hansoku-make), with special considerations for orientation and movement difficulties