2007 World Championships and Pan American Games Trials

Pan American Games

July 19-22

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

World Championships

September 19-22

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2007 Pan Am Games Selection Criteria

The 2007 USA Judo Senior National Judo Championships (referred to herein as “the nationals”) shall serve as the selection event for the USA Judo Team to the 2007 Pan American Games and World Championships.  The Nationals will be held in Miami, Fla. April 20-21, 2007.

Team USA will include athletes from the following divisions for the World Championships: Women’s 48kg, 52kg, 57kg, 63kg, 70kg, 78kg, +78kg and Open divisions and Men’s 60kg, 66kg, 73kg, 81kg, 90kg, 100kg, +100kg and Open divisions.

The Pan American Games Team will include ONLY athletes in Olympic weight divisions that have qualified to participate in the Games following the 2006 and 2007 Pan American Championships.  In order to qualify the division, a nation must finish in the top seven (excluding Brazil) from the combined results of the 2006 and 2007 Pan American Championships or be otherwise invited to participate by the Pan American Judo Union.  All Olympic weight divisions will be contested at the Trials; however, only divisions that qualify for participation in the Pan American Games will be named to the Team.

Athletes attending the Nationals shall be seeded according to the established USA Judo seeding protocols.  If the #1 seed, in all divisions excluding Open, wins the Nationals he/she shall be the athlete selected in each category of competition.  If the #1 seed does not win Nationals, then that athlete and the winner of the Nationals shall then engage in a best of three contest.  The winner of that fight off shall be the athlete selected for that category of competition. 

If the #1 seed of the Open division is the highest finishing American at the Nationals, he/she shall be the athlete selected in each category of competition.  If the #1 seed is not the highest finishing American, then that athlete and the highest ranking American shall then engage in a best of three contest.  The winner of that fight off shall be the athlete selected for that category of competition. 

NOTE: The Open division is only contested in the World Championships; therefore, the winner of the Trials process will be named to the World Team, but will not be named to the Pan American Games Team.

In divisions where fight-offs are needed, these matches will take place immediately following the completion of all of the gold medal matches during the same day’s competition.

All athletes have a maximum of 48 hours from the naming of the Pan American Games and World Teams to accept or decline their position.

For the divisions in which a best-of-three Trials is held, if the athlete named to the team declines the slot, the nomination will go to the loser of the best-of-three Trials.

If the athlete selected, according to the above criteria, declines for any reason, the person who is then ranked highest on the USA Judo Senior Elite National Roster, reflecting the results of the 2007 Senior National Championships, who participated in the 2007 Senior National Judo Championships, will be the athlete selected.  Subsequent declines will result in a progressive movement down the roster, according to the same criteria.

An athlete who is to be nominated to the World or Pan American Games Teams may be removed from the nominations for any of the following reasons, as determined by the Development Committee:

* Voluntary withdrawal.  Athlete must submit a written letter to Eddie Liddie, Director of Coaching and Athlete Development.

* Injury or illness as certified by a USA Judo approved physician (or medical staff).  If an athlete refuses verification of their illness or injury by a USA Judo approved care giver, their injury will be assumed to be disabling and they may be removed.

* Violation of the USA Judo Code of Conduct.