Judo at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is confirmed for 15 events at the LA Convention Center Hall 2, beginning July 15, 2028 — the day after the Opening Ceremony. The program continues the structure established at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024: 14 individual weight categories (seven for men, seven for women) plus the mixed team event. The weight category structure remains identical to Paris 2024. The most significant changes heading into the LA 2028 cycle are not to the competition format itself but to the IJF rules governing how bouts are scored and adjudicated — changes that were rolled out in late 2024 for implementation across the qualification period, including the reinstatement of the yuko score (removed from competition in 2017) and a series of modifications to gripping rules, permitted techniques, and ground-fighting scoring.
- Judo at LA 2028 will be held at the LA Convention Center Hall 2, beginning July 15, 2028 — 15 events (14 individual weight categories + mixed team), same format as Paris 2024
- The IJF reinstated the yuko score for the LA 2028 cycle: it is awarded in ne-waza (ground techniques) when control is maintained for 5 seconds — reversing the 2017 removal
- New gripping rules for LA 2028 allow jacket grabbing below the belt up to the upper inner thigh if not used negatively; the attack window after establishing grip extends to 30 seconds
- Reverse seoi-nage, previously banned in competition, is now permitted under the LA 2028 ruleset; head usage for throws and defense is also now allowed
- Olympic qualification for LA 2028 began June 2025 (Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam) and runs through a structured ranking period; tiebreakers are decided first by World Championship points
LA 2028 Judo: Confirmed Venue, Format, and Weight Categories
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics opens on July 14, 2028, with judo individual competition beginning on July 15. The venue is the LA Convention Center Hall 2 in downtown Los Angeles — a purpose-configured arena rather than an existing sport hall, consistent with LA28’s approach to using adaptable urban venue spaces. The judo program at LA 2028 consists of 15 total events: seven individual men’s weight categories (−60kg, −66kg, −73kg, −81kg, −90kg, −100kg, +100kg), seven individual women’s weight categories (−48kg, −52kg, −57kg, −63kg, −70kg, −78kg, +78kg), and the mixed team event. These categories are identical to those used at Paris 2024. The mixed team event was introduced at Tokyo 2020 and has been retained for Paris 2024 and LA 2028; as a format that combines men’s and women’s athletes in a single national team elimination competition, it has become one of the more watched days of the Olympic judo program. For a full explanation of how that format works, the rules and structure of the mixed team judo event at the Olympics are covered separately.
Athletes to Watch — The LA 2028 Competitive Preview
Based on the Paris 2024 results and the age distribution of the current elite, several athletes will be entering their hypothetical peak competitive years by 2028. Teddy Riner, who won individual +100kg gold and mixed team gold at Paris 2024 at age 35, will be 39 years old at the LA 2028 Games — older than any individual Olympic combat sports gold medalist in modern history if he were to compete and win. His presence, decision, and condition will be one of the defining storylines of the LA cycle. The 2024 Paris gold medalists in lighter weight categories — Hifumi Abe (−66kg, 26 at Paris 2024), Hidayat Heydarov (−73kg, 24), Lasha Bekauri (−90kg, 23), Diyora Keldiyorova (−52kg, 25), Christa Deguchi (−57kg, 28) — will be 30 and under by July 2028, placing most of them in or near their expected competitive peak. The question for each is whether the emerging next generation — athletes currently in their early twenties on the IJF World Tour — will have developed enough competitive maturity by 2028 to challenge them. That generational contest will be decided through the qualification period that runs from June 2025 through the months before the Games.
New IJF Rules for LA 2028: Yuko Returns, Gripping and Technique Changes
The IJF announced a package of rule changes for the LA 2028 cycle in December 2024, with testing beginning at the Paris 2025 Grand Slam and a formal review at the Budapest 2025 World Championships. The most discussed change is the reinstatement of the yuko score: removed from judo competition in 2017 when the scoring system was simplified to ippon, waza-ari, and penalties only, yuko returns for LA 2028 in a specific context — it is awarded in ne-waza (ground techniques) when an athlete maintains hold-down control for 5 seconds, before the 10-second mark that produces waza-ari. This partial reinstatement gives referees a finer scoring gradation in ground competition specifically, without restoring yuko to standing techniques. The practical effect is that early-stage ground control — the first 5 seconds of a hold-down — now produces a scoreable advantage where previously it produced no scoring until the 10-second threshold.
Gripping Rules and Newly Permitted Techniques
The LA 2028 ruleset permits jacket grabbing below the belt up to the upper inner thigh, provided it is not used in a negative or passive manner — a clarification that expands the legal grip zone that had been more restricted in previous cycles. The attack window after establishing a grip extends to 30 seconds, compared to the shorter window in the Paris 2024 rules. Two techniques are notably restored or newly permitted: reverse seoi-nage, which had been banned from competition, is now allowed (though remains prohibited for cadets); and head usage for throws and defense is now permitted (again, with a cadet exemption). Bear-hug techniques are permitted in standing judo except when the hands form a full circle around the opponent’s body. These changes collectively represent a move toward expanding the technique library available in competition — particularly in the grip-fighting and entry phases — and away from the more restrictive ruleset that had narrowed certain attack approaches in the years following 2017. The impact on how elite competitors train their grip-fighting entry sequences will be visible across the grip fighting dynamics at IJF World Tour events throughout the qualification period.
Olympic Qualification for LA 2028: How and When It Starts
The Olympic qualification system for judo runs through the IJF World Ranking system, with the LA 2028 qualification period officially beginning in June 2025 at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam — every result from that event forward counting toward Olympic selection. The point structure assigns different values by event tier: Continental Opens at the low end, escalating through Grand Prix (700 points for gold), Grand Slam (1,000 points for gold), Masters (1,800 points for gold), and World Championships (2,000 points for gold). Athletes accumulate their best scores across the qualification window. Tiebreakers are resolved in order: first by total World Championship points, then by combined Grand Prix, Grand Slam, and Masters points, and finally by best individual results. The qualification cycle runs through approximately spring 2028, with the final Olympic quota allocations determined in the weeks before the Games. National Olympic Committees then make selection decisions based on their qualified athletes’ results and the specific allocation structure for their continental quota. For athletes currently on the World Tour, the LA 2028 cycle effectively began as soon as the Paris 2024 cycle closed — the IJF calendar has no meaningful competitive off-season at the elite level, and ranking points toward LA 2028 have been accumulating since mid-2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where will judo be held at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?
Judo at LA 2028 will be held at the LA Convention Center Hall 2 in downtown Los Angeles. Individual competition begins July 15, 2028 — the day after the Opening Ceremony (July 14). The program covers 15 total events: 14 individual weight categories (7 men’s, 7 women’s) and the mixed team event.
Are the judo weight categories changing for the 2028 Olympics?
No. The weight categories at LA 2028 are identical to Paris 2024: men compete in -60, -66, -73, -81, -90, -100, and +100 kg; women in -48, -52, -57, -63, -70, -78, and +78 kg. The seven-category structure per gender has been stable since the early 2000s.
What is the yuko score change for LA 2028?
The IJF reinstated the yuko score for the LA 2028 cycle, but only in ne-waza (ground techniques). Yuko is awarded when an athlete maintains hold-down control for 5 seconds — before the 10-second mark that produces waza-ari. Yuko was removed from judo in 2017 when the scoring system was simplified to ippon, waza-ari, and penalties only. The new rule does not reinstate yuko for standing techniques.
When did Olympic qualification for LA 2028 begin?
Olympic qualification for LA 2028 officially began in June 2025, with the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam as the first qualifying event. Every IJF World Tour result from that point forward counts toward LA 2028 Olympic qualification. The qualification system uses accumulated IJF ranking points, with World Championships carrying the highest individual event value (2,000 points for gold).
Will Teddy Riner compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?
As of the information available through April 2026, no official decision from Teddy Riner about LA 2028 has been announced. If he competes at LA 2028, he would be 39 years old — older than any individual Olympic judo champion in history. His four Olympic gold medals (London 2012, Rio 2016, Paris 2024 individual, plus the Tokyo 2020 mixed team) and 11 World Championship titles make his participation decision one of the most-watched storylines of the LA cycle.