It’s all about points and politics

Lucie Decosse

The qualification for the Olympic Games 2016 will start within several weeks. The European Open in Madrid is the first of many tournaments (is there any space left on the calendar?) where important points can be gathered. Coaches and judoka from all over the world cannot wait to collect the first few points in their quest to participate in the Olympics.

The qualification system itself hasn’t changed much compared to the London Olympics. That means, of course, the best judoka will be present in Brazil.

It also means that some of the worst judoka ever will qualify for the 2016 Olympics, as they did for the London Olympics. Because the system, initiated by the International Judo Federation, makes sure judoka like Caren Chammas (LIB), Antony Liu (ASA) and Wodjan Shaherkani (KSA), remember her?, can compete at the highest level possible.
Of course, that guarantees some spectacular throws in the first round. But the main reason is it will keep the IJF President, Mr. Vizer, where he likes it best. Supported by all those little (judo) countries.

Enough about politics. What does the Olympic Ranking List mean for the actual result at the Olympics? The answer? A lot! We have put together a list of the ten judoka who collected the most points towards London, as well as their result in the Olympic Games and the last world championships.

Judoka	NOC	Points	Result OG London	Result WC Rio	Note
R. Sobirov	UZB	2190	third	preliminaries
T. Fukumi	JPN	2030	fifth	-	retired
L. Decosse	FRA	1866	champion	fifth	retired
K. Matsumoto	JPN	1830	champion	-
M. Aguiar	BRA	1734	third	third
Y. Ueno	JPN	1716	third	-	retired
G. Emane	FRA	1640	third	third
E. Bosch	NED	1620	third	-	retired
K.C. Wang	KOR	1620	fifth	preliminaries
A. Ogata	JPN	1610	preliminaries	preliminaries

Nine out of ten found themselves competing for an Olympic medal. Only one judoka was eliminated in the early stages of the tournament. 

Whereas the results at the Olympics were good, the results of the last world championships show that things change fast. From the same ten judoka only two medalled at the WC judo 2013.

What will the new period of Olympic qualification bring? We will keep you posted!

Which judoka will go to Rio 2016?

This blog is about the best judoka in the world and their 'road to rio'. We will keep all judo fans up-to-date with the Olympic qualification for Rio 2016. The blog will show the current Olympic Ranking List, directly after each event. We will also gather the latest news and publish our own articles.

Which of your judo heroes will qualify for the Olympics? Be the first to know and follow this blog!