Judo for the blind caters to Visually Impaired (VI) athletes with varying degrees of sight, classified into three categories:
B1, B2, and B3. Despite the classification, all athletes compete together in different weight categories.

How the Sport Works

Similar to able-bodied Judo, the rules of blind judo are governed by the International Judo Federation (IJF). However, there are unique adjustments for visually impaired athletes:

• The duration of the competition for both men and women is 4 minutes.
• One minute before the end of the fight, a time signal is sounded to indicate 60 seconds remaining.
• Visually impaired judokas are required to maintain contact with both hands throughout the match.
• While IJF rules generally apply, there are specific exceptions tailored to the needs of blind judo athletes.

Historic Paralympic Representation

Judo for the visually impaired has been a part of 8 Paralympic Games, featuring medal events for both men and women. Women’s judo was introduced to the Paralympic Games for the first time in 2004, marking a significant milestone in the sport’s history.