The first event of the IJF World Tour begins in February with the Paris Grand Slam. Together with the Tokyo Grand Slam (which is usually held at the end of the year), it’s one of the toughest competitions in the world.
Events like the Paris Grand Slam are opportunities for players to work their way up the world rankings but IJF World Tour events are not the only competitions that count. The IJF World Ranking list is based on results at all IJF-sanctioned events. This includes Continental Opens, Grand Prix, Grand Slams, World Masters, Continental Championships (e.g. European Championships, Asian Championships), World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Each result contributes to an athlete’s overall ranking but their value changes over time. For the 12 months following a tournament, points count at 100%. After 12 months, those points are reduced to 50%. And after 24 months they expire.
Current World Ranking Leaders
Among the men: Ayub Bliev (RUS) in the -60 kg category (4,853 points), Takeshi Takeoka (JPN) at -66 kg (4,880 points), Joan-Benjamin Gaba (FRA) at -73 kg (4,401 points), Timur Arbuzov (RUS) at -81 kg (6,105 points), Sanshiro Murao (JPN) at -90 kg (6,125 points), Dota Arai (JPN) at -100 kg (5,180 points) and Inal Tasoev (RUS) in the +100 kg category (6,250 points).
For the women: Abiba Abuzhakynova (KAZ) leads the -48 kg category (5,096 points), Distria Krasniqi (KOS) is first at -52 kg (6,260 points), Eteri Liparteliani (GEO) tops the -57 kg category (5,751 points), Haruka Kaju (JPN) leads at -63 kg (6,000 points), Lara Cvjetko (CRO) is number one at -70 kg (6,250 points), Patricia Sampaio (POR) heads the -78 kg category (6,450 points) and Lee Hyeonji (KOR) leads the +78 kg division (6,090 points).
