Road to Paris: Paralympic Qualification at a Glance
by Nicole Jomantas
The qualification process for the 2024 Paralympic Games began on Sept. 1, 2022 and will continue through June 24, 2024 with athletes selected to participate in the Games based on the IBSA Judo World Ranking List where athletes earn points at events including:
- 2022 IBSA World Championships (280 pts)
- 2023 IBSA World Games (560 pts)
- First Continental Championships (140 pts)
- Second Continental Championships / Games (280 pts)
- Year 1 Grand Prix Tournaments (210 pts)
- Year 2 Grand Prix Tournaments (420 pts)
For the first time, visually impaired athletes in judo will compete in two classification categories: J1 for totally blind competitors and J2 for partially sighted competitors.
Did You Know? Team USA has won at least one medal in judo at every Paralympic Games since the sport was introduced in 1988.
The following are the three Grand Prix events being held in 2024:
- Feb. 14: IBSA Heidelberg Grand Prix
- April 1-2: IBSA Antalya Grand Prix
- May 18-19: IBSA Tbilisi Grand Prix
Key Qualification Documents
Fifty-four men and 48 women will be awarded slots at the Games by name as follows:
Men’s Categories
J1 60 kg: 7
J1 73 kg: 7
J1 90 kg: 6
J1 +90 kg: 6
J2 60 kg: 7
J2 73 kg: 7
J2 90 kg: 7
J2 +90 kg: 7
Women’s Categories
J1 48 kg: 6
J1 57 kg: 6
J1 70 kg: 6
J1 +70 kg: 6
J2 48 kg: 6
J2 57 kg: 6
J2 70 kg: 6
J2 +70 kg: 6
The host country, France, will receive an automatic entry into each of the above categories.
As of Feb. 20, 2024, members of Team USA ranked among the top 10 in the filtered Paralympic Ranking List are as follows:
Women’s J1 57 kg
No. 2 Liana Mutia (Philadelphia, PA / El Idrissi Judo Academy)
Women’s J1 +70 kg
No. 3 Christella Garcia (Sacramento, CA / Team Sacramento Judo)
Women’s J2 +70 kg
No. 9 Katie Davis (Sacramento, CA / Team Sacramento Judo)
Men’s J2 90 kg
No. 10 Ben Goodrich (St. Paul, MN)
Note: A nation can enter a maximum of one eligible athlete per individual event with exceptions granted to Bipartite invitees through the process listed below. Athletes can only be entered in the medal event in which the athlete has obtained a qualification slot.
Bipartite Commission Invitation Allocation
Following the close qualification via the World Rankings in June, nations will be allowed to submit an application for one of 30 slots (approximately 20% of the total competitive field) to be awarded by IBSA and the International Paralympic Committee as Bipartite Commission Invitations.