In our last installment we discussed the bureaucratic barriers to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s inclusion in the Olympic Games. Today, we’ll be looking at a few of the loopholes around those barriers.
In 2002, the IOC, passed a resolution limiting the number of sports in the Summer Olympic program to 28. Of those 28 spots, 25 are reserved for core sports. The remaining three spots are non-core sports and are changeable. The three current non-core sports are; Wrestling, Golf, and Rugby. Regardless of the year, it seems unlikely that the IOC would vote in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu over one of these other sports.
If you are familiar or active in the worldwide grappling community you may remember the uproar when Wrestling was dropped from the Olympic program. Wrestling probably won’t be dropped for several Olympics, and certainly not for another grappling sport with less niche-appeal.
It is further unlikely that Golf or Rugby would be dropped in favor of BJJ. Like Wrestling, Golf and Rugby have broader appeal. And while the IOC seems to have enjoy having a plethora of racket sports: Tennis, Table Tennis, and Badminton, there is no evidence to suggest that they would want another grappling sport.
However, there is a loophole. The Olympics allow multiple disciplines for a sport, if all those sports fall under the jurisdiction of the same international federation. Aquatics, run by FINA, is composed of Swimming, Diving, Synchronized Swimming, and Water Polo; Gymnastics, run by FIG, is composed of Artistic, Rhythmic, and Trampoline; Wrestling, run by FILA, is composed of Freestyle and Greco-Roman. This loophole affords us several unlikely options.
The best option, from a Jiu-Jiteiro’s position is the creation of an international federation for racket sports. The formation of a new IF for racket sports would fold Badminton, Table Tennis, and Tennis under its wings. It would also create two new core sport slots. However, this is also the least likely option to take place. Each of these sports has taken decades to reach the level of Olympic sport and would undoubtedly be against the combining of their three federations.
Another option is for the IOC and FILA to add Submission Wrestling to Wrestling. Of course, the governance of Submission Wrestling by FILA creates its own set of problems. We have no idea what FILA-sanctioned Submission Wrestling would look like. It probably would not resemble IBJJF Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Neither Freestyle or Greco-Roman Wrestling use the gi. It may not even resemble No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is much more likely that FILA Submission Wrestling would be akin to Catch Wrestling. Freestyle Wrestling has Catch roots. While this would undoubtedly thrill the Catch Wrestling aficionados, it would not satisfy the Jiu-Jiteiros.
Catch Wrestling, like nearly all other forms of grappling, places an emphasis on the top game. Like Freestyle and Greco-Roman, Catch matches can be won with a pin. Catch matches can also be won via submission. Joint locks are allowed in Catch, but strangleholds are not.
Another possible option, and one that could save the gi, is for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to join forces with Judo. But this would require the IBJJF and the IJF to reach an amicable settlement. Much like the aforementioned racket sports IF, the governing federations of both Judo and BJJ would have to decide to create a gi grappling federation. More importantly, and less likely, the Presidents and officers of each federation would have to be willing to step down and undergo a new election process. Again this forces Jiu-Jitsu players to confront the manipulation of their beloved sport.
Like FILA Submission Wrestling, we have no clue what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu run, at least partly, by Judokas would look like. Nearly annually, the IJF changes the rules of Judo. First, it was banning pick-ups and leg-grabs (techniques similar to Single- and Double-Legs in Wrestling). Then it was placing time limits on particularly dominant grips (belt grips or over the shoulder grips may only be held for three seconds) or outlawing them outright (Judo practitioners are now only allowed to grab their opponents pants to counter a throw). Now, Judokas are no longer permitted to use a two-on-one grip break (that is to say that they can’t use two hands to break a grip). Personally, I would rather have Jiu-Jitsu stay out of the Olympics than be bastardized in the way that Judo has been by the IJF, but this is solely my opinion.
As in our previous post about Olympic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it becomes clear that BJJ’s addition to the Olympic program is a long way off. More importantly, if Jiu-Jitsu does become an Olympic sport, it may not be the sport we want it to be.
