The All Japan Judo Federation (AJJF) has made the decision to remain with its current team for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The AJJF Executive Committee backed the initial roster via an online meeting to reconfirm the athletes’ places.
Because of the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, there were local reports from the media that a new team could give the home country bigger and better chances of winning more gold medals.
The decision means 13 members of Japan’s 14-strong judo team for the Games have been determined.
Naohisa Takato, Shohei Ono, Takanori Nagase, Shoichiro Mukai, Aaron Wolf, and Hisayoshi Harasawa have earned nominations in the men’s weight divisions.
Funa Tonaki, Uta Abe, Tsukasa Yoshida, Miku Tashiro, Chizuru Arai, Shori Hamada, and Akira Sone have secured nominations for the women’s events.
There is one more spot to be determined and it’s the men’s -66kg category. There are two strong candidates for it – the current world champion Joshiro Maruyama or Hifumi Abe.
The final resolution was supposed to be made after the All-Japan Weight Class Championships in April, but the event got canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
