Dan and Kyu Grade competitors must register and weigh-in on Friday 13 March, from 17:00 to 20:00, unless you have requested and been approved to weigh-in on Saturday morning. Novice Grade Competitors must weigh-in on Sunday 15 March 8:00 to 9:00 (Cannot weigh-in on Friday). Competitors who do not register, and do not weigh-in, will be withdrawn.

Registration is likely to be very busy on Friday, so please ensure you arrive in plenty of time.

Please note: Competitors who do not make weight will not be allowed to re-weigh, but will be placed in the category appropriate to their weight when weighing in.

Competitors must provide their BJA license and student identification at registration and weigh-in. Students without a valid, in-date license cannot compete.

Accepted Licences are as follows:

British Judo Association

Welsh Judo Association

Judo Scotland

Northern Ireland Judo Federation

British Judo Council

Amateur Judo Association

To be insured to compete at BUCS, competitors must have one of the above licenses if they are training at either a university judo club or any other UK judo club. A recreational license does not cover competitions or gradings. International competitors who do not have a BJA license must provide their home national governing body (as sanctioned by the International Judo Federation) license at weigh-in, along with a letter of permission.

The weigh in for the competition will be an Open Weigh In.

Competitors for dan grade and kyu grade sections should weigh-in on Friday evening, between 17:00 and 20:00pm. If students are not able to make weigh-in on Friday, there will be extremely limited time/space available to weigh-in on Saturday morning for exceptional circumstances only. If you are unable to make weigh-in on Friday, please email Chris Lamb if you have not yet already, who will be able to authorise a Saturday morning weigh-in. Saturday Weigh-In will be open from 08:40am.

Competitors for the novice grade section are to weigh in on the morning of Sunday 15 March 8:00 – 9:00am.

ALL Competitors (Women and Men) must weigh in in competition legal Judogi Trousers, and a plain crew neck t shirt. Athletes will therefore be entitled to a 0.8kg weight allowance.

Coaches should inform the BUCS staff at registration before the first pool stages on Saturday, of their intention to coach their competitors. Only one coach will be allowed in the coaching chair for each match. Coaches will be given a red wristband to ensure referees are aware of who may coach.

Level 4 there will be no coaching between Hajimi and Mate (this is applicable to Dan and Kyu grade and Team sections).

For the novice grade section this will be under level 3 rules, coaching is allowed throughout the contest.

Female categories must wear a white (No colours) t-shirt/rash guard during the contest. The full, updated policy as of November 2023 for wearing t-shirts/rash guards in competition and replacing damaged or soiled garments procedure can be found here.

Please see below for a draft timetable for the event, specifically noting the earlier start time of 9:30am versus previous years. Please note that the timetable is subject to change:

Saturday - Timetable

Sunday - Timetable

The BUCS Judo Championships shall be conducted in accordance with the BUCS Judo regulations, the BUCS general regulations, the British Judo (BJA) Contest Rules (2026) and the BJA Amendments to IJF Contest Rules (2026). Further event specific requirements, rules, and regulations will be contained within the entry and pre-event information for each Championship.

The British Judo (BJA) Policy on Trans Competitors shall be followed.

The BUCS Tournament Director, in conjunction with the BUCS Event Lead have the final decision in all sporting competition matters. This includes any rulings or disputes not covered by regulations.

Changes, including withdrawals, after the entry closing date must be made in writing by an athletic union or students’ union and e-mailed to the BUCS Event Lead Chris Lamb.

Withdrawals after the entry closing date (Thursday 26 February) will still be charged the entry fee.

Withdrawals after 5:00pm on Tuesday 10 March will be classified as a ‘no-show’. They will be charged the entry fee and an additional £20 fine payable by the athletic union or students’ union.

Competitors who do not withdraw, and do not register and weigh-in at the venue, will be also classified as a ‘no-show’ and will be charged the entry fee and an additional £50 fine payable by the competitor’s athletic union or students’ union.

Please see REG 7.9 for our withdrawal policy

There is free parking available at the venue. On the map below, options for parking can be seen, please follow the instructions on the signs in each car park. The main car parks on campus are accessed from Broadway (Road).

There will be a male and female changing room at the venue that is free to use for competitors. This will be shared with other indoor users of the venue.

Disabled and gender-neutral changing access is also available, which will be available by request at the venue reception.

On Saturday the coffee bar on campus will be open from 9:30am until 2:00pm, with breakfast and lunch options available at the Boulevard Kitchen. These facilities can be found in the WA Building (marked on map in parking panel above), please follow the campus maps onsite for directions to this.

There will be no café open on Sunday, so athletes and spectators are advised to bring their own food and drink.

There is a co-operative convenience store and other takeaway food options available around a 15-minute walk away, on the Broadway.

There are also vending machines available at the venue.

A catering van will also be situated outside of the hall, selling breakfast items, burgers and hotdogs. The van accepts cash or card.

Spectators are permitted and there is no charge for entry; however, space is limited for this provision and priority should be given to coaches and competitors should there be a lack of available seating.

Presentations will take place at the end of each day. On Saturday, individual Dan and Kyu grade presentations will be awarded, and on Sunday team and individual Novice grade presentations will be awarded. Presentations will take place as soon as possible after the conclusion of competition on each day.

Please see Appendix 1 for the BUCS Points available at this event.

Please note: If there is the need to combine two weight categories then medals would only be awarded once for the combined category. BUCS medals will be distributed as detailed in regulation 6: BUCS points, medals, and trophies. BUCS reserves the right to merge weight categories as is necessary for the competition.

Anyone wishing to take photos or video at this event must complete the BUCS Media Accreditation Form prior to the event. Once you have completed the form, please go to the BUCS Desk at the event to receive your media accreditation.

BUCS reserves the right to prohibit photography equipment being used at a BUCS event. BUCS reserves the right to request that the individual ceases to take photographs, deletes any images and, if considered necessary, leaves the venue.

If you wish to take photos or videos at this event, please contact the BUCS Event Lead. 

SAFEGUARDING AT BUCS EVENTS

BUCS’ mission is to provide exceptional student sporting experiences that inspire, develop and unite.

Critical to our success is our commitment to always providing safe, friendly and enjoyable environments for all participants. Whether competing, coaching, officiating, volunteering, working or spectating at these events, the welfare of all is critical to our mission.

To find out more or report a concern, please click here.

The sustainability of our event matters to us and these are the positive steps we are taking to manage our environmental impact:

• All staff and volunteers are encouraged to travel to the event via public transport
• We have used local suppliers where possible
• Event programmes are all online, minimising paper use
• We will print on demand merchandise (if applicable)
• We are beginning to track our carbon footprint across BUCS events to identify areas of improvement.

How can you help at this event? Here’s some ideas:

• Be self-sufficient by bringing your own refillable bottles and coffee cups to reduce waste
• Ensure you are disposing of waste correctly – Check around the venue for specific recycling and food waste bins
• Travel smarter – as a team on a minibus, cycle or use public transport