Summary

  • Use play icon at top of the page to watch live coverage

  • Women's events: -48kg, -52kg, -57kg, -63 kg

  • Men's events: -60kg, -66kg, -73kg

  • 740 Judoka competing from 121 different nations

Live Reporting

  1. Olympic champion to fight doping ban

    Rafaela SilvaGetty Images

    Brazil's Olympic judo champion Rafaela Silva will appeal against her two-year doping ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

    The 27-year-old tested positive for the asthma compound fenoterol, a banned substance, after winning the gold medal in the women’s -57 kg category at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.

    She was stripped of her medal and banned for two years. “I fully believe that we will prove that fenoterol accidentally entered my body and that it was not used for sports performance purposes," she said in a statement.

    Silva also stated that a second test she took, at the World Championships in Tokyo three weeks after Lima, showed no traces of any banned substance.

    The Brazilian Judo Confederation have said they fully back Silva, who could miss the Olympics in Tokyo if her appeal is turned down by Cas.

  2. See Great Britain's Tokyo Olympic hopefuls on the BBC

    The push for Olympic qualification continues as judo's first major event of the year takes place in Paris this weekend.

    Great Britain are looking to field a team of about 10 judokas in Tokyo.

    Read more here

    Ashley McKenzieGetty Images

    Ashley McKenzie

  3. Team China missing from Paris

    The latest Chinese team to suffer from the coronavirus outbreak is the country’s judo team, who will be unable to travel to France because the delegation has failed to secure the necessary visas.

    The French embassy in Beijing closed its doors until 10 February in the wake of the outbreak of the virus, meaning no visas could be issued for entry to France before the end of that period at the earliest.

    China has now withdrawn its judokas from the Bercy event. The International Judo Federation issued a statement extending its sympathies to the Chinese athletes that had been prevented from taking part.

    The IJF also said it was monitoring “on a daily basis” the evolution of the virus outbreak “to take the necessary measures, for the benefit of all participants to the IJF World Judo Tour events.”

  4. The Brits taking to the mat in Paris

    Sally ConwayGetty Images

    Sally Conway is Britain's only previous Paris Grand Slam champion

    British Judo have named a seven-strong competition squad for this year's Grand Slam, led by Sally Conway - the only Brit to have won gold in Paris to date.

    Bristol-born Scotswoman Conway will take part in the -70kg category, where she will start the tournament as second seed having won in 2018 before Japan's Yoko Ono took gold in that division last year.

    There are six women and one man travelling to take part in the Grand Slam for Britain, with four further judoka involved in the training camp. The athletes representing Great Britain in the main event are listed below.

    Men

    -60kg: Ashley McKenzie

    Women

    -57kg: Nekoda Smythe-Davis

    -63kg: Lucy Renshall & Lubjana Piovesana

    -70kg: Sally Conway & Gemma Howell

    +78kg: Sarah Adlington

  5. What is the Paris Grand Slam?

    Teddy RinerGetty Images

    Teddy Riner has won a record six gold medals in Paris, but has not competed here since 2013

    Hosted at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, the Paris Grand Slam brings together hundreds of the finest judoka in the world as part of the IJF Grand Prix series.

    The event has been running since 2004 and many of the greats of the sport have won gold here - including French legend Teddy Riner, who is expected to put his remarkable 152-bout unbeaten run in Paris to the test when he competes in the heavyweight category for the first time since 2013.

    As well as the prestige of winning gold on one of judo's biggest international stages, the Paris Grand Slam will also serve as a qualification event for the Tokyo OIympics - and as a result, a record field of around 800 judoka from 122 different nations will take part this weekend.

  6. BBC coverage

    All times are GMT and subject to change

    You can watch live coverage from both days of the Paris Grand Slam on the BBC Sport website and mobile app, as well as via the BBC iPlayer where you will also be able to catch up with all of the action.

    Saturday 8 February

    16:00-18:30 – BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport website & app

    Sunday 9 February

    16:00-18:30 – BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport website & app

  7. How to get into judo

    BBC Sport

    Belfast shoppers thrown by judo

    Judo roughly translates as 'gentle way' in Japanese, and though it can appear to be anything but gentle, it's skill, technique and timing that will see you gaining different colour belts as you improve.

    Judo is one of two martial arts included in the Olympics, and it is easy to try it, with all clubs registered with the British Judo Association offering free starter sessions and 'judo gi' (uniforms) to borrow.

    Use their club finder to get started, or try the NI Judo, Judo Scotland and Welsh Judo websites.