2025 World Tour and Continental Open Selection Procedure
Athlete Eligibility: IJF Events#
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
- Finished in top 5 at a Continental Open in the past 4 years OR
- Must have been a member of the Senior World Team or Senior Pan American Team in the past 2 years OR
- Finished top 5 in the IJF Junior World Championships in the past two years OR
- Finished top 7 or higher in a Grand Prix or Grand Slam in the past 4 years OR
- Medaled at the Junior Pan American Championships in the past 2 years
Awarding of Spots for Event Selections
(See example of event selection submission form below)
- Selections for Grand Prix and Grand Slams tournaments will be awarded in descending order (No. 1 selection, No. 2 selection, etc.) starting with the athletes who are ranked highest on the World Ranking List (WRL) published at the conclusion of the 2025 Santo Domingo Pan American Open (WRL to include results of the Santo Domingo Open).
- Details on how events are awarded are explained below:
- Round 1 - In the first round of event selections awarded, those who are ranked #1 on the WRL in their weight division will be given their top three (3) choices for Grand Prix and Grand Slams. Next, those who are ranked No. 2 in their weight division will receive their top two (2) choices for Grand Prix and Grand Slams. Finally, those ranked No. 3 and beyond, in descending order (No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, etc.), will be given their first available choice out of the Grand Prix and/or Grand Slam requested. Note, only two (2) athletes per weight division per country are allowed for Grand Prix or Grand Slam events.
- Round 2 - Starting from the top of the WRL and working in descending order in each weight division (No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, etc…), USA Judo will award the next one (1) Grand Prix or Grand Slam listed under an athlete’s selections list that is still available after Round 1 selections have been awarded.
- Round 3 - etc. - The following rounds of awarding event selections (round 3, 4, 5, etc.) will work the same way as the second round until all Grand Prix and Grand Slam available spots have been awarded.
- Final Round - As Continental Open events do not have limits to athlete participation as Grand Prix and Grand Slams, every eligible athlete will be awarded all of the Continental Opens for which they submit selections. It is important for athletes to include all of the continental opens they are interested in attending at the end of their event selections list as this will ensure that the athletes receive team email communications on those continental opens once the information packets are posted by the IJF or local organizing committees.
- It is likely that each athlete will not get awarded every Grand Prix or Grand Slam for which they submit selections. The above process gives a fair opportunity to eligible and qualified athletes to attend a Grand Prix and/or Grand Slam.
- It is important that athletes list all possible events they are interested in attending for the July 1 – December 31, 2025, period to ensure timely communication of event deadlines between athletes and USA Judo.
- Any unfilled roster spots for Grand Prix or Grand Slams will follow the procedure listed below.
Open Spots Procedure - Grand Prix and Grand Slams
- Athletes must meet the above international tournament criteria for the respective event for which they send in requests to fill open spots.
- It will be the responsibility of each athlete to check the posted event rosters and deadlines for each tournament periodically in case a spot opens up on one of the Grand Prix or Grand Slam event rosters.
- Athletes must submit their request(s) to fill in an open spot by the specific deadline posted for each tournament.
- USA Judo will evaluate athletes who have submitted requests via email to Alex (Alex.Bates@usajudo.us) to fill in any open spots and determine who is ranked higher on the WRL on that deadline day (each event will have a different deadline posted) in order to select who will fill the open spot(s).
- If an empty spot becomes available after the posted open spot request deadline for any given event (due to reasons such as late dropouts, injuries, etc.), USA Judo will be unable to fill that spot if deadlines for hotels, transportation, payment, etc. as posted by the organizing committee for each event have passed.
2025 World Tour and Continental Open Calendar
(July 1 – December 31)
Submitting Event Selections
*Due to anticipated changes to the IJF Calendar, the selection process has been updated to the following.
Important Note for Events July 1 – August 31, 2025:
Given the current configuration of the IJF Events Calendar, tournaments held between July 1 – August 31, 2025, will follow the procedure listed below.
- Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam – Eligible athletes will be required to send USA Judo (Alex.Bates@usajudo.us) an official email requesting to be added to the roster by no later than Monday, June 16. Next, USA Judo will award selection of the team based on athletes who are ranked highest in each weight division on the IJF WRL as of the end of day Monday, June 16. If an athlete is awarded the 2025 Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam, it will be counted towards their first round pick per the Awarding of Spots for Event Selections referenced above.
- Continental Opens – Eligible athletes interested in competing in any Continental Opens between July 1 – August 31 should email USA Judo (Alex.Bates@usajudo.us) with their intent to do so no later than the attendance confirmation deadline for each event.
Events September 1 – December 31, 2025:
- Selection requests for events held between September 1 – December 31, 2025, can be submitted from July 14 – August 4, 2025, by clicking the link below. Athletes must submit their event selections by 5:00 p.m. PST on Monday, August 4.
Submit Request Here (Event Selection Form coming soon)
Based on the event selections athletes submit by 5 p.m. PST on Monday, August 4, 2025, there will be specific deadlines for each event (posted at the same location as the event rosters) by which athletes will have to confirm their hotel check in/check out dates, room type and requested roommate or they will be removed from that event roster.
Final event rosters based on the awarded selections for each event will be posted by end of day on August 6. As always, reach out to Alex Bates (Alex.Bates@usajudo.us, o: 719-866-3260) with any questions.
Athletes must be a current USA Judo member in good standing and must also meet one of the following criteria to qualify to participate in the following International competitions:
Continental Opens
- Athletes must be on the current Senior Elite National Roster to qualify for Continental Opens.
Grand Prix or Grand Slam
- Finished in top 5 at a Continental Open in the past 4 years OR
- Must have been a member of the Senior World Team or Senior Pan American Team in the past 2 years OR
- Finished top 5 in the IJF Junior World Championships in the past two years OR
- Finished top 7 or higher in a Grand Prix or Grand Slam in the past 4 years OR
- Medaled at the Junior Pan American Championships in the past 2 years (Updated October 15, 2021)
Awarding of Sports for Event Selections
(See example of event selection submission form below)
- Selections for Grand Prix and Grand Slams tournaments will be awarded in descending order (No. 1 selection, No. 2 selection, etc.), starting with the athletes who are ranked highest on the World Ranking List (WRL) published after the conclusion of the 2024 Tokyo Grand Slam.
- Details on how events are awarded are explained below:
- Round 1 - In the first round of event selections awarded, those who are ranked #1 on the WRL in their weight division will be given their top three (3) choices for Grand Prix and Grand Slams. Next, those who are ranked No. 2 in their weight division will receive their top two (2) choices for Grand Prix and Grand Slams. Finally, those ranked No. 3 and beyond, in descending order (No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, etc.), will be given their first available choice out of the Grand Prix and/or Grand Slam requested. Note, only two (2) athletes per weight division per country are allowed for Grand Prix or Grand Slam events.
- Round 2 - Starting from the top of the WRL and working in descending order in each weight division (No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, etc.), USA Judo will award the next one (1) Grand Prix or Grand Slam listed under an athlete’s selections list that is still available after Round 1 selections have been awarded.
- Round 3 - etc. - The following rounds of awarding event selections (round 3, 4, 5, etc.) will work the same way as the second round until all Grand Prix and Grand Slam available spots have been awarded.
- Final Round - As Continental Open events do not have limits to athlete participation as Grand Prix and Grand Slam events do, every eligible athlete will be awarded all of the Continental Opens for which they submit selections. Athletes need to include all of the continental opens they are interested in attending at the end of their event selections list, as this will ensure that the athletes receive team email communications on those continental opens once the information packets are posted by the IJF or local organizing committees.
- It is likely that each athlete will not get awarded every Grand Prix or Grand Slam for which they submit selections. The above process gives a fair opportunity to eligible and qualified athletes to attend a Grand Prix and/or Grand Slam.
- It is important that athletes list all possible events they are interested in attending for the January 1 - June 30, 2025, time period to ensure timely communication of event deadlines between athletes and USA Judo.
- Any unfilled roster spots for Grand Prix or Grand Slams will follow the procedure listed below.
Open Spots Procedure - Grand Prix and Grand Slams
- Athletes must meet the above international tournament criteria for the respective event they send in requests to fill open spots for.
- It will be the responsibility of each athlete to check the posted event rosters and deadlines for each tournament periodically in case a spot opens up on one of the Grand Prix or Grand Slam event rosters.
- Athletes must submit their request(s) to fill in an open spot by the specific deadline posted for each tournament.
- USA Judo will evaluate athletes who have submitted requests via email to Alex (Alex.Bates@usajudo.us) to fill in any open spots and determine who is ranked higher on the WRL on that deadline day (each event will have a different deadline posted) in order to select who will fill the open spot(s).
- If an empty spot becomes available after the posted open spot request deadline for any given event (due to reasons such as late dropouts, injuries, etc.), USA Judo will be unable to fill that spot if deadlines for hotels, transportation, payment, etc. as posted by the organizing committee for each event have passed.
2025 World Tour and Continental Open Calendar
(January 1 - June 30)
Selection requests for events held between January 1 - June 30, 2025, can be submitted from November 11 - December 6, 2024, by clicking the link below. Athletes must submit their event selections by 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday, December 6.
Based on the event selections athletes submit by 5 p.m. PST on Friday, December 6, 2025, there will be specific deadlines for each event (posted at the same location as the event rosters) by which athletes will have to confirm their hotel check in/check out dates, room type and requested roommate or they will be removed from that event roster.
Final event rosters based on the awarded selections for each event will be posted by the end of the day on December 10. As always, reach out to Alex Bates (Alex.Bates@usajudo.us or 719-866-3260) with any questions.