A major part of the referee brief is their participation in the pre-event referee meeting held the evening before each and every World Judo Tour competition. It is no different in Peru. Head Referee Director Armen Bagdasarov, along with additional members of the commission, led the meeting, highlighting specific, detailed situations for clarification.
In Lima, several items were on the list, including some practical examples of how to assess whether uke is ducking outside tori’s grip or if it is tori moving their own grip. Usually this is an obvious situation, but not always. Referees not only discussed this but practised it on the tatami, focusing on the head movement of uke.
It is not always a conscious thought for the athletes, coaches or officials that the referees work on such tiny details so discreetly but the work has to be done that way to ensure aligned understanding and fairness on the tatami.
Also under scrutiny were situations involving ne-waza movements which drive uke’s arm up their own back, pressuring the shoulder. When it is clear that tori is looking for kansetsu-waza and not the turnover, it must be hansoku-make, although the recommendation is for the referee to say ‘mate’ to stop the action from progressing, saving judoka from potential injury. Due to angles and speed, this may not be possible at all times but judoka must be responsible for their own actions too and not create such situations.
Continuing on the ground, the Lima referee meeting also covered sode-guruma-jime and the potential for jaw injuries when the action is executed across the face rather than around the neck of use. Again, if the referee can see the placement is incorrect, it must be ‘mate.’
What is important is that the referees’ actions match the rules and that the commission supports transparency and fairness. In Lima, as with every World Judo Tour event, this is the focus, the over-riding positive message. On the other side of the same coin, all athletes and coaches must continue to practise and compete within these rules. Everyone wants the same thing: safe, fair, spectacular judo.