International Judo Federation App – A blueprint for a modern sport app

Judo is a fast-paced martial art and Olympic sport that’s practiced by over 20 million people all around the world. The International Judo Federation came to us with a need for a modern app that would centralize their content effortlessly into one place.

IJF already had already lots of technology, content and data that would be useful in creating the new app:

• sophisticated web platforms for keeping up with live scores and results from judo events and tournaments
• ready-made content in multiple languages
• an updated website under way

All of this was a good starting point for the refurbished app.

Building the modern sport app

We built the app side by side with the modernized website to get the most synergy out of both of them. The app was built without coding, by using the Choicely app builder.

We integrated IJF’s live score and results service seamlessly into the app, as well as key views from the website that give the users a quick access to things like upcoming events, judo news, live videos of every contest, information about judoka, judo rules and more.

The International Judo Federation launched its brand new ‘IJF Judo’ app in May 2021 for the World Judo Championships.

When the app was launched, Marius Vizer, President of the International Judo Federation said:

“The International Judo Federation always strives to improve and in the field of technology. We know Choicely will provide the solutions we need to make a step forward making information readily available to our judo family, while creating an interactive online space we can share.”

Check out the video to see a showcase of the app, available in App Store and Google Play Store:

One specialty of the app is the great live event experience for judo fans. The matches can be followed through a combination of live video feed and live scores. Judo matches are often decided by a throw – ippon. The judoka who tops their rival with this deciding and often impressive throw, wins the match.

At judo events there are several matches going on at the same time. When fans spot from the live scores that one of the matches has just concluded, they have just enough time to check the “ippon” throw in an instant slow motion replay – thanks to the slight delay in the live video feed.

Learn more about Sports Event Apps.

“Choicely is the best option for us because they’re experts in their field, they’ve made fantastic engines and modules that allow us to quickly integrate our content and data to an International Judo Federation branded app.”

Vlad Marinescu, Director General of the International Judo Federation

The results

Thanks to no code, smart integrations and automated content feeds, the IJF community got the new app live fast and at a low cost. The IJF also runs the app at a high efficiency, requiring only minimal manual updates.

The app serves judokas and fans all across the globe. The IJF Judo app is used regularly both during major judo events and in between them. During 2022, the app had 43 000 active users, peaking during the World Judo Championship in October.

The app gets a lot of usage especially during tournaments. For example, during the latest Judo World Championships in 2023 it was used 1,5 hours by a user on average.

Learn more about No Code Apps for Sports Federations.

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