A systematic review of the history of judo in South Africa: implications for the future

Introduction: There is a wide gap in judo participation between developing and developed countries. In South Africa (SA), there are only 2139 (0.00004% of the population) registered judokas compared to 122 000 (0,001% of the population) in Japan. This may be attributed to the fact that in developing countries such as SA, judo participation is dominated by a single race, generally the white race. Methods: This disjuncture is said to be informed by a combination of factors, including affordability, preferences, and the legacy of apartheid. Interestingly, despite being a popular sport amongst the white population in SA, judo is practiced by more black people than whites in some provinces, namely, the Eastern and Western Cape. The purpose of the research is to reflect on how judo has navigated, and migrated to its current form and what the future holds. A substantial literature search was done using PubMed, SCOPUS, SportDiscuss, Google Scholar, and Web of Science (2001 - June 2020). The synthesis of the literature suggests that the management of judo requires more than just financial resources; it also needs a well-defined organizational strategy. Results: This study used 65 full-text English-language papers from 90 citations found through electronic searches. After removing duplicates and reviewing the full-text versions, 18 articles remained central to athlete success in the professionalization of federations. Federations that are run on a voluntary basis are seen as inefficient and unsustainable to successfully plan an athlete’s international success pathway. Conclusion: Furthermore, there is a consensus amongst researcher’s that professionalism and commercialization are central to improving athlete’s performance, participation, and efficacy in the athlete’s management system. Evidently, financial resources, a clear long-term plan and full-time coaching and administration staff play a critical role in the successful management of any Federation.