NoOlympic

Jiu-Jitsu people are crazy. It seems that there is a movement afoot trying to get this martial art accepted as an Olympic sport.

This is NOT going to happen anytime soon. To be considered for acceptance there are standards that have to be met that are, at best, difficult, and are sometimes impossible.

First off, a sport must have professional-level officiating and refereeing. Jiu-Jitsu pretty much takes anybody who is willing to help out. Usually these are somewhat experienced practitioners, but it varies greatly.

Judo is an Olympic sport. In order to officiate in that sport, one would have to qualify through a series of coursework, as well as rigorous practical examinations. There is an entire system of qualification that has to be not only earned, but also kept up to date.

Karate has been trying for decades to earn a spot as an Olympic sport. They have a structure for officials similar to Judo's. I earned my Karate Black Belt in 1986. If I were to arrive at a tournament, and try and get involved in officiating, I'd be met with a blank stare. I have not completed even the lowest level coursework, which would be required for me to be allowed to sit at a table adding up scorecards. It would likely take me years to work my way up to being a corner judge, and a decade to earn a spot at a match referee.

There are also exacting standards for things such as apparel for officials. Both Judo and Karate insist upon shirt, tie, and jackets for all officials. They must be of the correct official colour. No t shirts, shorts or gis for these sports.

There are also precise standards for the rules. I tried reading the rules of one of the large sport Jiu-Jitsu organizations. They kept referring to both the ring official and to the corner judge as being the “referee”. At one point they stated that the “referee” has the last say in all matters. Interesting, but which referee do they mean. At one point they said it was the referee's responsibility to “punish” rule infractions. Punish? Is that really the right word to use? Punish?

These are all standards demanded by the Olympic committees. Jiu-Jitsu could likely achieve all of this in a decade or so. I still doubt they could become an Olympic sport. The final hurdle is the one Karate never could surmount. Judo did.

Judo was already centralized under the Kodokan in Japan. They worked as one body seeking admission. Karate has no such centralization. The largest body boasts 167 member countries, but in many of those they are not the sole governing body. At the time of the last serious attempt to find unity back in 1990, it was really down to two groups.

One was the major body, then called WUKO. The other, significantly smaller but still substantial body was called the ITKF. Depending on who you listen to, it was either due to an attempted coup by the leadership of the smaller organization, or due to fundamental differences as to what sport Karate should all be about. Unity never occurred, and Karate has still never been accepted as an Olympic sport.

The fragmentation in Jiu-Jitsu makes Karate's political structure look simple in comparison.

There are a number of sport bodies, none of whom can really claim to be world wide. There are several world championships put on every year by the different groups. Some are prestigious, and some are not. Equal in significance to any of them is a big event put on in Abu Dhabi. It exists solely due to the support of a single, wealthy patron.

None of this will fly with the Olympic folks.