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I am specifically speaking about the London 2012 games. I am not asking if any athletes are doing this, just whether it is technically permitted.

Wikipedia says nothing, but this was allowed in boxing for a while, before being stopped years ago.

Answers pertaining to more than just the Olympics are definitely appreciated.

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  • Wikipedia does say something! See my answer below. You just didn't look hard enough. :P
    – user15
    Jul 18, 2012 at 19:59
  • This might be more appropriate for sports.SE. Jul 19, 2012 at 16:21
  • @DaveLiepmann It might be, but I'm okay with it here since it relates to martial arts competition. I don't think a special case needs to be made just for the Olympics.
    – user15
    Jul 24, 2012 at 17:10

2 Answers 2

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It is not possible for one athelete to perform in two different weight categories in the same tournement, for the simple reason that weight categories don't overlap and there no longer is an "open" category.

A current list of weight categories is listed on wikipedia, and the same information is mentioned in a document on the IJF website. To quote the 2013 IJF rules, page 13:

8.5 Competitors may only be entered in the weight category to which they belong.

8.6 A competitor may not be entered in more than one weight category except for the Senior Men and Women World Championships in which he can be entered also in open category.

Also, on page 24:

The competitor shall weigh-in wearing only underclothing, under the supervision of a weigh-in official; the competitor may be requested to remove his underclothing to ensure he reaches the minimum weight limit of the weight category in which he is entered.

On page 73, in discussing team competition, it is noted that judoka may not compete willy-nilly in any division above their own:

Each competitor is entitled to fight in his own weight category or in the next higher category.

The strongest evidence is on page 10, where the weight categories are described explicitly in terms of maximums and minimums. For example:

Middle weight - over 63 kg up to and including 70 kg

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The Wikipedia page on Judo at the 2012 Summer Olympics Qualification states (emphasis and italics mine):

The top 22 men or 14 women from the world rankings in each division qualify, subject to a limit of 1 judoka per NOC (National Olympic Committee) per division. Further continental quotas (Europe 25, Africa 24, Pan-America 21, Asia 20 and Oceania 10 across both sexes and all divisions) also qualify subject to an overall limit of 1 judoka per NOC and 2 judokas per division from each continent.

So for the 2012 London Summer Olympics, the short answer to your question is no.

It was somewhat ambiguous when I had looked up judo weight divisions and also judo Summer Olympics weight classes since the "dividing" number between weight classes was included as the upper or lower limit for adjacent weight classes. My initial thought would be no, competitors wouldn't be able to compete in multiple weight divisions out of fairness issues.

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    I don't think this fully answers the question, but perhaps I am misreading it. This seems to say each country can enter only one judoka per weight class, but says nothing about it having to be different people for different classes.
    – Steve D
    Jul 18, 2012 at 20:11
  • x2 on that. I also read the qualifications, and it merely states that they are limited to one per division. No bar that I could find against one person being eligible in two weight classes. I would tend to doubt that it is allowed, but it's not specifically addressed.
    – JohnP
    Jul 18, 2012 at 21:01
  • @Steve D - I think it would be tough to qualify in 2 weight classes. It takes a lot to get enough points in 1 division let alone 2.
    – user201
    Jul 25, 2012 at 21:05
  • @ProfessionalAmateur: oh, I agree; I can't imagine it has ever happened. I was just curious if it is even allowed.
    – Steve D
    Jul 26, 2012 at 0:58

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