The IBJJF have announced that they will be making several changes to the uniform rules that will go into effect shortly after the gi world championship in 2024. It’s a tricky situation too, because it’s quite obvious that there does need to be some level of rules surrounding the uniform used in competition but it’s also easy to go overboard. That’s something that the IBJJF has been criticized for before in fact, among other things, and it seems like they’ve decided to put further restrictions in place rather than relaxing the rules.
The changes that the IBJJF have made to uniform rules now mean that many gi competitors will find that the equipment they use today may no longer be legal in 2024. They have reduced the acceptable GSM range of the fabric, which will make many ultra-light gis unusable in IBJJF competition. While that might be the rule that has the widest effect, they are also reducing the acceptable length of the reinforcements on the cuffs of gis and have limited brand labels to specific locations.
These kinds of rule changes won’t necessarily have a huge effect on elite-level competitors, because the majority of them will have sponsorship deals with brands that allow them to have free equipment for competition. Instead, it will have a disproportionate effect on casual or occasional competitors, who have to buy their own gis for use in competition and may find that they have to buy a whole new wardrobe to meet the new requirements. Gi manufacturers themselves will also be hit hard initially, as many popular items will no longer be IBJJF legal and will need to be re-designed. When the dust settles though, those who can cope with the change will likely make a huge profit from the increased demand.
The full list of rules surrounding the uniform used in both gi and no gi competition, including all the changes being made in 2024, can be found here.
