Italy’s judo squad has placed 12 athletes in virtual qualification positions for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games following the release of the first official International Judo Federation ranking update, according to oasport.it. The standings update follows the World Championships held in Baku from October 4 to 11.

IJF Releases Initial Ranking List for Olympic Qualification

The International Judo Federation released its initial post-worlds ranking list on October 26, capturing the early movement in the two-year qualification window. The Olympic qualification period for judo runs from June 15, 2026, to June 12, 2028. Under federation rules, ranking points earned during the first twelve months of the cycle are halved compared to those secured in the second half of the biennium.

Direct qualification for the Los Angeles Games is secured by the top 17 athletes in the world ranking for each weight category. Host nation the United States receives the maximum quota automatically, while each country is limited to a single athlete—the highest-ranked competitor—per weight class. If two or more athletes from the same country finish inside the direct qualification zone, the respective National Olympic Committee holds the authority to select which competitor to field.

Italy Secures Virtual Spots Across Twelve Weight Classes

As of October 26, the Italian judo team holds 12 quota places across the 14 Olympic weight categories, missing out only in the women’s -78 kg and the men’s +100 kg. Eleven of those athletes sit comfortably inside the direct qualification brackets, while a twelfth spot is provisionally secured via a continental quota.

Several Italian competitors have posted strong results since the qualification window opened in mid-June. Gennaro Pirelli leads the -100 kg division as the world number one. Assunta Scutto sits second in the -48 kg category, Odette Giuffrida is fourth in the -52 kg class, and Asya Tavano holds sixth place in the +78 kg division. On the men’s side, Giovanni Esposito is provisionally sixth in the -73 kg category.

In addition to the direct qualifiers, Carlotta Avanzato occupies a provisional continental quota position in the -63 kg weight class.

Alice Bellandi Absent from the Current Standings

Noticeably absent from the newly published rankings is reigning European and Olympic champion Alice Bellandi. The -78 kg star has not competed in recent months, leaving her name off the initial list.

IJF Distributes 104 Additional Continental Quota Places

Beyond the top 17 direct slots per division, the International Judo Federation will distribute 104 additional continental quota places. These slots respect regional representation rules, granting a maximum of one athlete per country in categories where the nation has not yet qualified directly. The continental distribution allocates 12 spots for men and 12 for women in Africa, 13 men and 13 women in Europe, 12 men and 12 women in Asia, 4 men and 4 women in Oceania, and 11 men and 11 women in the Americas.

Additional qualification pathways include the mixed team event and tripartite commission allocations for smaller nations, though these mechanisms are not expected to impact the Italian team’s current projected delegation.