Member News

January 4, 2006

New York Open Receives International B Level Ranking

USA Judo is pleased to announce that the New York Open, to be held March 10 at the New York Athletic Club, has been named as an international B Level Tournament.

Considered one of the top tournaments for male judo players in the Americas, the New York Open consistently draws competitors from more than 20 countries annually, including past Pan American and Olympic medalists.

“We are pleased and grateful to USA Judo, the New York Athletic Club and to all our friends and supporters who have helped us get to this level of competition. We will continue to remain focused on our vision to be a premier high level tournament attracting world class competitors,” said New York Open Tournament Director Dr. Mel Appelbaum (New York City, N.Y.)

Athlete points assigned for national rankings will still be determined by the governing bodies of individual nations. For U.S. athletes, C Level domestic points will be earned for Senior Elite National Roster rankings with five points designated for a gold medal, three for a silver medal, two for bronze medals and one D Level point for fifth-place finishes.

"New York is the center of sports and entertainment and USA Judo is honored to partner with the NYAC, the most prestigious athletic club in the United States to offer this tournament to judokas around the world as a B-Level event," said USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez (Colorado Springs, Colo.) "The NYAC has been a long-time supporter of judo and we're pleased to continue this tradition with the upgrading of the New York Open to be one of the few B-Level events in the Americas. USA Judo is working with the New York Open leadership to soon create an equal B level opportunity for women to address this need and continue to be leaders in the development of opportunities for women's judo." 

The New York Open was founded 24 years ago as an outgrowth of the Metropolitan AAU Judo Championship which was started in the early 1960s and stopped in the mid- 1970s. It was the desire of the NYAC Judo Club to build another strong domestic event which was originally called the NYAC Judo Championship. Ten years ago the name and focus changed from appealing only to domestic athletes to expanding the focus to include athletes from around the world. The unprecedented success of the event has attracted top level domestic and international athletes who compete and enjoy the spirit of New York City.  The event’s growth is directly attributable to the friendships that NYAC Judo Club's senior members have established with coaches, referees and athletes from around the world.