Australian international referee Celeste Knoester reports on the implementation of new IJF rules at the 2026 Paris Grand Slam, where she presided over a total of 31 matches.
The Paris Judo Grand Slam was conducted under the updated IJF rules interpretation ahead of the February 2026 SOR changes. The event was overseen by Armen Bagdasarov, with Florin Daniel Lascau now formally transitioning from the Refereeing Commission into the IJF Education Director role.
Sixteen referees officiated across four tatami. I was appointed to referee a total of 30 preliminary contests and one bronze medal match.
This match – in the Under 90kg category between athletes from France and Greece – took place in front of a full 15,000-seat arena, providing a valuable experience refereeing under significant crowd pressure.
Key points and competition outcomes observed following the Refereeing Meeting included –
Yuko – Interpretation and Competition Effect: The refereeing meeting clarified the revised interpretation of yuko in preparation for the 2026 SOR. Situations where two hips, two knees, or the stomach made first contact were confirmed as no score. Yuko was to be awarded for one buttock landing, with or without additional contact from a hand, elbow, scapula, neck, or side. Referees were reminded that increased back number contact should generally indicate waza-ari.
During the competition, calibration of yuko remained challenging, however the overall effect was positive. Athletes were consistently rewarded for genuine throwing attempts that clearly disrupted balance. This resulted in an increased attack rate and more positive judo, aligning with the intended direction of the rule changes.
Grip Breaking and Flow of Contest: Grip-breaking interpretations were clarified to improve contest flow. When both athletes broke grips simultaneously, referees were instructed to allow the action to continue. Repeated grip breaks by one athlete to avoid engagement were penalised with shido.
Two-hand grip breaking was permitted only when grip contact was maintained; breaking with two hands and immediately releasing resulted in shido.
These interpretations had a clear impact on contest flow. Athletes were encouraged to engage and fight rather than pursue negative tactics, resulting in fewer grip-based stoppages and improved continuity of action.
False Attacks and Shido Tempo: False attacks were penalised quickly and decisively. It was clear throughout the event that referees were not hesitant to issue a third shido, including in situations where the penalised athlete held a positive score and even late in regular contest time.
Initially, adjusting to the speed and authority of shido application was challenging. However, by day two this became a natural part of my decision-making.
This highlighted to me the importance of stricter and earlier application of shido at regional level. This is to better educate athletes and prepare them for international competition, particularly given the frequency of hansoku-make outcomes when Australian athletes compete overseas.
The stepping-out and grip-breaking changes significantly reduced negative judo, particularly tactics aimed at forcing penalties rather than attacking. Notable during the event was a double hansoku-make following a nine-minute Golden Score, despite repeated referee prompting. This highlights the penalising of negative judo.
Overall, the standard of judo was exceptionally high. Notably, there were no direct hansoku-make disqualifications throughout the entire event, which is rare at this level. This suggests the rule changes are successfully facilitating positive judo and that refereeing education is effectively reaching athletes.
The Paris Judo Grand Slam demonstrated a clear alignment between refereeing education, rule interpretation, and competition outcomes. The revised yuko criteria, stricter application of shido, and improved grip-breaking interpretations contributed to higher attack rates and more dynamic contests. This event reinforced the importance of strong referee education pathways and consistent application of standards across all levels of competition.
