Qualification at a Glance

A maximum of 186 men’s and 186 women’s quotas will be awarded for a total of 338 judo athletes to compete at the Paris Olympic Games with a maximum number of seven men and seven women (one per individual event qualifying for Paris from each nation.

Did You Know? In 2020, 128 nations were represented in judo competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Only two nations, Korea and host Japan, had a full team of 14 athletes compete at the Games. Brazil, France, Germany and the Russian Olympic Committee each qualified 13 athletes.

Methods of Qualification

The majority of athletes will qualify for the Paris Games through quota places with additional allocations awarded to the host country as well as mixed team event invitation places and universality places.

Total Quota Places

Men: 169
Women: 169
Total: 338

Direct Qualification

Men: 119
Women: 119
Total: 238

Quota places are awarded to athletes by name directly via the athlete’s position on the World Ranking list as of June 25, 2024. An athlete who is ranked in the top 17 on the World Ranking List will qualify for the Paris Games. If any country has more than one athlete in the top 17, that nation may choose which athlete to send to the Games.

Important Reminder: The top 17 position is AFTER the removal of additional qualifiers from any single country. For example: If Country X has three athletes in the top 17, only one will compete at the Games. Therefore, athletes ranked 18 and 19 would receive a quota place. If Country Y has two athletes in the top 17, the No. 20 ranked athlete would receive a quota place.

Continental Qualification

Men: 50
Women: 50
Total: 100

Each nation also may qualify a maximum of ONE athlete through the continental qualification process. Athletes who do not qualify through direct qualification will be placed on a Continental Ranking List with allocations as follows:

Continent	Men's Quota Places	Women's Quota Places	Total
Africa	12	12	24
Europe	13	12	25
Asia	10	10	20
Oceania	5	5	10
Pan America	10	11	21
Total	50	50	100

NOTE: The Continental Ranking List includes both men and women across all weight categories.

Olympic Trials

If the U.S. has two athletes ranked in the top 17, as of June 25, 2024, in the same weight category, a 2024 Olympic Trials – Judo (date and location, TBA) will be held. If the higher IJF-ranked athlete wins the first match, he/she shall be the athlete selected in that weight category of competition. If the higher IJF-ranked athlete loses, then the athletes shall engage in a best-of-three fight-off with the winner being selected to the team. If three or more athletes are ranked among the top 17, a single elimination Trials will be held with athletes seeded according to their positions on the World Ranking List as of June 25, 2024. If the highest ranked athlete on the aforementioned WRL wins the single elimination bracket, he/she shall be selected to the team. If the highest ranked athlete does not win the single elimination bracket, a best-of-three match fight-off will be held with the winner being selected to the team.

Should a Trials be necessary, the date and location of the Trials will be announced at least 45 days prior to the event.

Mixed Team Qualification

At the Tokyo Games, the mixed team event made its Olympic debut in judo with 12 teams competing in the inaugural event, including a Refugee Olympic Team.

Did You Know? France won gold in mixed team at the Tokyo Games with Japan winning silver and Germany taking bronze.

A nation may compete in the mixed team event if the team has athletes who qualify in the individual events in the weight categories used for mixed team as follows:

Women’s 57kg (48kg, 52kg, 57kg)
Women’s 70kg (57kg, 63kg, 70kg)
Women’s +70kg (70kg, 78kg, +78kg)
Men’s 73kg (60kg, 66kg, 73kg)
Men’s 90kg (73kg, 81kg, 90kg)
Men’s +90kg (90kg, 100kg, +100kg)

If a nation only has five eligible athletes for the mixed team event, that nation may be eligible to receive ONE additional individual athlete quota. The highest ranked eligible nation in each continent from the World Team Ranking List will receive the additional individual athlete quota which is then awarded to the athlete with the most points on the individual World Ranking List in the weight category that needs to be filled.

Host Country Qualification

Men: 7
Women: 7
Total: 14

As the host nation, France automatically receives a quota place in each of the seven individual men’s and women’s weight categories.

Universality Places

Total: 15

Nations may submit requests for any of the 15 universality places available across the men’s and women’s events by January 15, 2024.

Road to Paris: Your Look at Olympic Judo Qualification

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