Junior Selection Procedures
Cadet and Junior International Selection Criteria Procedures #
In 2025, the following event(s) are scheduled to take place:
- Cadet and Junior Pan American/Oceania Championships (April 18-20, 2025 - Lima, Peru)
- Cadet World Championships (August 27-30, 2025 - Sofia, Bulgaria)
- Junior World Championships (October 5-8, 2025 - Lima, Peru)
- U13/U15 Youth Pan Am Championships (November 28-30, 2025 - TBA, Mexico)
Cadets
- Age: The age division for 2025 includes birth years 2008-2010 for the Cadet category.
- Weight divisions: The contested weights for the Cadets will be: Female 40, 44, 48, 52, 57, 63, 70, +70kg and Male 50, 55, 60, 66, 73, 81, 90 and +90kg.
IJF-Juniors
- Age: The age division for 2025 includes birth years 2005-2010 for the Junior category.
- Weight divisions: The contested weights for the IJF Juniors will be: Female 48, 52, 57, 63, 70, 78, and +78kg and Male 60, 66, 73, 81, 90, 100 and +100kg.
Junior and Cadet Selection Criteria#
In order to be eligible for the 2025 USA Judo Junior and Cadet Pan American/Oceanian Championships Team and/or the Cadet World Championships Team and/or the IJF Junior World Championships Team, athletes must meet the following criteria:
- Must have been born 2008-2010 if competing under the Cadet division.
- Must have been born 2005-2010 if competing under the Junior division.
- Must be a United States citizen, unless they meet the criteria of the International Judo Federation’s (IJF) refugee program and are currently approved with proof of documentation/acceptance from the IJF to participate in this program. Please provide a copy of the documents to alex.bates@usajudo.us.
- Athletes currently approved under the IJF refugee program must have also followed the same steps above to earn their spot on the 2025 Cadet Pan American/Oceanian Championships Team and/or 2025 Junior Pan American/Oceanian Championships Team and/or 2024 Cadet World Championships Team and/or 2024 Junior World Championships Team.
- As long as an athlete meets the criteria of the International Judo Federation’s (IJF) refugee program and is currently approved with proof of documentation/acceptance from the IJF to participate in this program, then the athlete may compete at USA Judo-sanctioned point events and earn points on the USA Judo national roster.
- If you are a recent citizen or hold dual citizenship, you must have secured the necessary approvals to be eligible to represent the United States Internationally.
- Must be a current member in good standing with USA Judo.
- Please note, in order to be a direct qualifier for the 2025 Cadet and Junior Pan American/Oceanian Championships Teams, you must finish in the top 4 in your division at the 2025 USA Judo Youth National Championships.
- Please note, in order to be a direct qualifier for the 2025 Cadet and Junior World Championships Teams, you must finish in the top 4 in your division at the 2025 USA Judo Junior Olympics National Championships.
- The Wild Cards are the ONLY athletes that will be chosen off the USA Judo National Cadet and IJF Junior rosters as of end of day, March 30, 2025 for the Cadet and Junior Pan American/Oceanian Championships Team.
Cadet and Junior Pan American/Oceanian Championships (April 18-20, 2025 - Lima, Peru)
A total of 10 male and 10 female athletes will represent USA Judo at the 2025 Cadet Pan American/Oceanian Championships.If the PJC or IJF changes the number of athletes that can participate in these tournaments, then USA Judo reserves the right to adjust the criteria.
A total of 9 male and 9 female athletes will represent USA Judo at the 2025 Junior Pan American/Oceanian Championships.
The Cadet and IJF Junior Gold Medalists in each division from the 2025 USA Judo Youth National Championships will be offered the direct qualifier spot in their division.
The silver medalists in each division will become the first alternates.
The third-place athletes in each division will become the second alternates.
The fourth-place athletes in each division will become the third alternates.
The teams (Cadet Pan Am/Oceanian and Junior Pan Am/Oceanian) will each also include two male and two female wild cards for both the Cadet and IJF-Junior ages (4 wild cards for the Cadet Pan Am/Oceanian team and 4 wild cards for the Junior Pan Am/Oceanian team), if applicable. These wild cards will be the two male and two female athletes with the most points on both the USA Judo National Cadet and IJF Junior rosters as of end of day March 30, 2025. It is not possible to combine points from multiple divisions. In no case can any country have more than two athletes in one division.
To qualify as a wild card athlete, it is not mandatory to compete at the 2025 USA Judo Youth National Championships.
To qualify as a wild card athlete, one must have at least 12 points on the USA Judo National Cadet and IJF Junior rosters as of end of day March 30, 2025.
The wild card members cannot be in the same division.
Cadet and Junior Pan American/Oceanian Championships Mixed Team Event
USA Judo will be competing in the Mixed Team competition during the 2025 Junior Pan American/Oceania Championships. Per PJC/IJF rules the weight divisions for the Mixed Team competition are as follows:
Female: | Male: |
-57kg, -70kg, +70kg | -73kg, -90kg, +90kg |
The direct qualifying athletes of the following the IJF Junior weight division from the 2025 USA Judo Youth National Championships will be offered the first opportunity to represent USA Judo in the Mixed Team competition.
Female: | Male: |
-57kg and -70kg | -73kg and -90kg |
For the +70kg and +90kg divisions, the direct qualifying female/male athletes within the two eligible weight divisions (female: -78kg and +78kg / male: -100kg and +100kg) with the highest point total on the USA Judo IJF Junior National Ranking Roster as of end of day March 30th will be offered the first opportunity to represent USA Judo in the Mixed Team competition. It is not possible to combine points from multiple divisions. Should a tie exist, the athlete placing highest in the 2025 USA Judo Youth Nationals will be named to the Mixed Team. If a tie still exists after using the previous criteria, the athlete placing highest at the 2024 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships will be named to the Mixed Team. Should there still be a tie after using the previous two criteria, the highest placing athlete from the 2024 USA Judo Youth National Championships will be named to the Mixed Team.
Cadet World Championships (August 27-31, 2025 - Sofia, Bulgaria)
Junior World Championships (TBC)
Updated as of December 12, 2024
A total of 10 male and 10 female athletes will represent USA Judo at the 2025 Cadet World Championships.
A total of 9 male and 9 female athletes will represent USA Judo at the 2025 Junior World Championships.
The Cadet and IJF Junior Gold Medalists in each division from the 2025 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships will be offered the direct qualifier spot in their division.
The silver medalists in each division will become the first alternates.
The third-place athletes in each division will become the second alternates.
The fourth-place athletes in each division will become the third alternates.
The teams (Cadet World and Junior World) will each also include two male and two female wild cards for both the Cadet and IJF-Junior ages (4 wild cards for the Cadet World team and 4 wild cards for the Junior World team), if applicable. These wild cards will be the two male and two female athletes not directly named to the team via direct qualification with the most points on both the USA Judo National Cadet and IJF Junior rosters as of end of day June 21, 2025 (the rosters will only include points from the national competition). It is not possible to combine points from multiple divisions. In no case can any country have more than two athletes in one division.
To qualify as a wild card athlete, it is not mandatory to compete at the 2025 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships.
To qualify as a wild card athlete, one must have at least 12 points on the USA Judo National Cadet and IJF Junior rosters as of end of day June 21, 2025.
The wild card members cannot be in the same division.
If the PJC or IJF changes the number of athletes that can participate in these tournaments, then USA Judo reserves the right to adjust the criteria.
2025 U13 and U15 Pan American Championship Team Selection Criteria
A maximum of four athletes per age and weight category will represent USA Judo at the U13 and U15 Pan American Championships.
The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medalists in each U13 and U15 division from the 2025 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships will be offered the direct qualifier spot in their respective weight category.
A fourth position in each weight category on the U13 and U15 Pan American Championships Teams will be allocated to the highest ranked athlete not named to the team via direct qualification on the USA Judo National Roster in the Intermediate (U13) and Juvenile (U15) categories that is current with all results up and including June 21, 2025 (the rosters will only include points from the national competition). It is not possible to combine points from multiple divisions. In no case can any country have more than four athletes in one division. In order to be eligible for this position, the athlete must hold at least ten (10) points on the roster as of end of day June 21, 2025.
Should any of the four athletes selected above decline their positions, alternate athletes will be selected from those holding ten (10) or more points on the USA Judo National Roster that is current as of end of day June 21, 2025, in the order of their position on the roster.
Athletes will only be allowed to compete in the weight division in which they qualified for via direct qualification or via the national ranking roster.