EJU fine-tunes Adapted Judo Kata rules ahead of the 2026 European Kata stage

With the European Kata Championships 2026 on the horizon, the European Judo Union (EJU) has rolled out a set of updates to the Adapted Judo Kata regulations. The aim is straightforward: better clarity, stronger consistency, and rules that keep pace with how the programme is evolving. The biggest attention goes to the Adapted Nage-no-Kata categories, along with the list of kata that are eligible at the European Championships.

Clear categories help athletes be judged on what they actually perform.

The headline change targets what used to be Category 1B in Adapted Nage-no-Kata. Until now, this group covered pairs where Tori is an A-judoka (a judoka with a disability) and Uke is a mainstream judoka. Under the updated framework, that single category has been split into two distinct groups, designed to reflect functional ability and the practical way the kata is presented.

The new options are Category 1B – Tachi-shisei and Category 1B – Ne-shisei. In Tachi-shisei, the kata is performed mainly from a standing position, with necessary adaptations to match the athlete’s disability. In Ne-shisei, the performance is predominantly seated or kneeling, intended for athletes whose functional limitations make that the appropriate format.

The EJU has also added a formal definition of Adapted Nage-no-Kata to the rules. This clarifies that it is a performance of Nage-no-Kata where one or more techniques may be modified to suit the functional abilities of a judoka with a disability, while keeping the fundamental principles and structure intact.

The goal is inclusion without losing the essence of kata.

There is also a participation update for the European Kata Championships: alongside Nage-no-Kata and Adapted Nage-no-Kata, Katame-no-Kata has now been added as an eligible kata for competition in the Adapted Judo categories. Taken together, these revisions are meant to create clearer pathways for athletes with different needs to compete at the highest European kata level.

Source: EJU_News