?? What I saw during the Judo Olympic Games Tournament in Paris??

During the recent Olympic Games, I had the pleasure of watching the judo tournament. The quality of the matches was exceptional, with breathtaking and spectacular contests. This was a stark contrast to my experience of the 2012 London Olympic Games, where I found the judo tournament to be somewhat disappointing in both quality and excitement.

It’s no secret that changes were made to the arbitration rules between the two Olympiads to enhance the quality of judo. However, I wanted to determine whether my improved perception was merely subjective or rooted in actual data.

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?? Let's examine the numbers

The table below compares the outcomes of contests won by Ippon, Waza-ari, Yuko, and Referee Decisions. A significant rule change between London and Paris was the elimination of Yuko, rewarding only substantial winning techniques.

Winning by Yuko (in London) or by referee decision is considered lower quality judo compared to winning by Ippon or Waza-ari.

?? Results of the Rule Changes

In London, 26% of contests were won by Yuko, reduced to 0% in Paris due to the rule changes. This - 26% variation is distributed as follows:

Ippon and Waza-ari combined: +15% absolute increase (~ 60% relative).

Referee decisions: increased by +11% absolute (~40% relative).

?Compared to a situation where the same rules would have applied in Paris than in London, the new rules have resulted in:

+ 13 more Ippons and + 50 more Waza-aris, that is + 63 high quality wins,

+ 48 more referee decisions, but with 107 fewer Yukos, leaving a net 59 fewer wins via low-quality judo.

?In summary, the rule changes between the two Olympiads led to approximately 60 more victories through powerful, spectacular judo, marking a 15% improvement in the overall quality of judo between Paris and London.

??? What This Teaches Us

This is a major factual enhancement in Judo quality! ??

?Adjustments in the way you implement rules and practices, without changing the overall framework or mission of an organization, when carefully implemented, do lead to profound improvements in performance.

Consistency is critical. The rule changes were designed to encourage competitors to strive for victory through well-executed, high-quality techniques rather than resorting to less impressive methods. These adjustments were maintained over the years, so that they could become part of everyday practice and influence fighting tactics at all levels of competition.

?To me, the Judo Olympics is a great example of how shaping behavior in an organization starts with clearly defining the desired outcomes and carefully designing the operations to achieve them.

?? Data Sources

Paris 2024 : https://tinyurl.com/w5vr6ker

London 2012?: https://tinyurl.com/muyuwyka

Withdrawal and injury losses, which are less than 1%, were neglected. Minor data corrections for the Paris games were made.

?#Judo #Olympics #PerformanceImprovement? #OrganizationalSuccess