Winning a contest
IJF · 2026Judo contests are decided by technical scores or disqualification, not by adding ordinary points as in a ball game. Ippon ends the contest immediately; two waza-ari also make ippon. If regular time ends without ippon, a waza-ari outranks any number of yuko, and yuko decide when waza-ari are equal.
The rule
Judo contests are decided by technical scores or disqualification, not by adding ordinary points as in a ball game. Ippon ends the contest immediately; two waza-ari also make ippon. If regular time ends without ippon, a waza-ari outranks any number of yuko, and yuko decide when waza-ari are equal.
In practice
Equal technical scores lead to golden score, regardless of a difference in shido warnings. A disqualification gives the opponent victory. This guide explains IJF contest rules from the supplied edition; kata demonstrations, veteran formats and national children's competitions can use different systems.
Sources & approach ↗