"We are in constant communication with our top athletes," says IPPONGEAR CEO Stefan Kneitinger. "The new IJF Judo Gi rules have been a challenge for all involved. Our highest goal is always to provide our athletes with the best possible equipment for top performance. That's why we paid special attention to the new Legend 2 and the new rule change."
Since the announcement of the new IJF Judo Gi rules in 2022, our development team has been working continuously with our top athletes. The challenge lies in the interpretation of the jacket length. According to the new rule interpretation, the jacket must completely cover the buttocks plus 5cm. The direct disqualification in case of failure to pass the judogi control further increases the tension for the athletes.
During the development process, it quickly became clear that the different body shapes, especially around the hips, make an additional cut in addition to our existing cuts such as Regular and Slim Fit indispensable. The idea of the Women Cut was born and the project was launched together with our world-class fighters with the goal of "completion in time for the World Championships in Doha."
"We dealt intensively with the topic, took measurements of over 50 of our IJF World Tour fighters, consulted with trainers after all IJF events regarding the interpretation of the new rule, and were able to identify another problem area," said Kneitinger.
In addition to jacket length, the new "25cm Crossings" rule also poses a problem for some female fighters. This new rule states that the jacket must overlap at least 25cm above the belt. No problem in the heavy weight classes - but in the light weight classes up to 48kg or 52kg it is different. Female lightweights sometimes have a hip circumference of 50cm - 55cm, which makes a 25cm crossing almost impossible.
The main features of the new Women Cut:
After intensive analysis and numerous tests in coordination with our female athletes, we are proud to present our new Women Cut. The extended side slit in combination with a larger hip circumference and longer jacket provides sufficient hip coverage and a perfect fit. In addition, an S-shape was given to the lapel to counter the problems with the 25cm crossing. Since all female fighters had a narrower chest circumference compared to male fighters during our analysis, the chest circumference was reduced, making the entire Women Cut resemble an A-shape.
Before the World Championships in Doha, all female starters were equipped with the new IPPONGEAR Legend 2 Women Cut. The remaining sizes of the first delivery were immediately sold out, but replenishment is already in production.
We look forward to being able to offer the new IJF judogi to the general public at the end of June. Of course, this IPPONGEAR IJF judogi variant is also available in the Mix & Match system, which allows the pants to be chosen separately in the right size.
At this point, we would like to thank all athletes, trainers, and associations for their support during this project. Together, we were able to take our IJF judogi to a new level and relieve our female athletes in anticipation of the impending tightening of the IJF Judo Gi rules.
If you don't want to miss the arrival of the new judogi, you can sign up on the product page and will be notified as soon as your desired size is back and available.
