Who referees a jiu-jitsu (ne-waza) match, and can a coach challenge a call?
A · Advanced · Submissions, fouls and referees · 3 of 3A mat referee runs the match and two video referees watch it live. A call is corrected only when both video referees disagree with the mat referee. A coach may challenge the latest action by standing and raising an ID card. A failed challenge costs the right to challenge for the rest of the event.
How it works
- Mat referee: on the mat, the highest authority in the match. Makes the first calls and manages the athletes.
- Two video referees: watch live and may review footage. A call is changed only if both disagree with the mat referee.
- Three different opinions: the middle one is given, for example an advantage between points and no score.
- Submission advantages: only the mat referee decides them.
- Judgement calls: final, and not subject to change.
- Overturning a result: only for a scoreboard error, a prohibited hold that was missed or a wrongful disqualification.
- The challenge: the coach stands and raises the event ID, and the referee stops at a stable moment.
- What cannot be challenged: submission advantages, passivity penalties and anything the video referees already reviewed.
- A failed challenge: no more challenges for that athlete in the event, until a medal match.
- Coaches: one for each athlete, seated, with no phones. The athlete may not talk to the coach.
The glossary has the referee team, the video replay challenge, the coaches, the advantage, the referee gestures and the uniform inspection.
Tricky cases
A coach thinks the opponent should have been penalised for stalling. Can they challenge?
No. Penalties for passivity cannot be challenged.
A challenge succeeds. Can the coach challenge again?
Yes. If the challenge is accepted, the coach may challenge again for that athlete.
A coach's challenge fails in the quarter-final. Is the right lost for the final?
No. An athlete who reaches a gold or bronze medal match regains the right.
One referee wants to give points, one an advantage and one nothing. What is given?
The advantage, the intermediate decision.
Why the rule exists
The mat referee is closest to a submission and best placed to judge danger, so that call stays on the mat. Everything else benefits from a second look. A challenge that costs something when it fails is used only for clear mistakes.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A call by the mat referee | Changed only if both video referees disagree | JJIF Ne-Waza 5.8 |
| Submission advantages | Mat referee only | JJIF Ne-Waza 5.9 |
| Failed challenge | No more for the event, until a medal match | JJIF Ne-Waza 5.13 |
| Not challengeable | Submission advantages, passivity, reviewed sequences | JJIF Ne-Waza 5.14 |
| Ju-jitsu fighting | Challenges under the Sporting Code | JJIF Fighting 3.1.7 |
From the rule book
Ju-Jitsu International Federation and Ju-Jitsu Asian Union, Jiu-Jitsu (Ne-Waza) Rulebook (version 2.7, reviewed 2024), Sections 2, 5 and 6. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's Jiu-Jitsu (Ne-Waza) Rulebook.