2026 World Tour and Continental Open Selection Procedure
All athletes attending international events must have met the minimum performance standards listed below. The goal is to have athletes compete at the proper level to ensure a beneficial and valuable competitive experience for their development.
Athlete must also be a current USA Judo member in good standing.
Continental Opens
- Athletes must be on the current Senior Elite National Roster and hold at least a “D Level” ranking or higher to qualify for Continental Opens, OR
- Have met the eligibility criteria for Grand Prix/Slam events
Grand Prix or Grand Slam
- Athletes must hold 300 points or higher on the Senior IJF World Ranking List (WRL) posted at the conclusion of the 2025 Tokyo Grand Slam
- Athletes who had 300 points or higher after the 2025 Tokyo Grand Slam are still eligible to compete in Grand Prix/Slam between Jan 1 – Jun 30, 2026, should their points drop below 300
- Open spot requests (Jan 1 – Jun 30, 2026) can only be submitted by athletes who:
- Had 300+ points after the 2025 Tokyo Grand Slam, or
- Have 300+ points on the current IJF WRL
- Medical Exception: Athletes may petition the High Performance Committee for a waiver to the aforementioned criteria should they have recently undergone a major medical procedure. The petition must be emailed to Alex.Bates@usajudo.us.