Also known as | JJIF |
---|---|
Date founded | 1977 (as EJJF) |
Arts taught | Modern Ju-Jitsu |
Ancestor arts | Ju-Jitsu |
Official website | http://www.jjif.info/ |
The Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) is an international sport federation founded in 1998 after the expansion of the European Ju-Jitsu Federation (EJJF) for the propagation of the modern competitive sports version of Jujitsu, also known as Sport Ju-Jitsu.
As a member of the General Association of International Sport Federations (GAISF) and the International World Games Association (IWGA), the JJIF represents Sports Ju-Jitsu worldwide. The JJIF is currently the only Jujutsu/Ju-Jitsu organization recognized by the GAISF and IWGA; Ju-Jitsu under JJIF rules is a part of the World Games and World Combat Games.
The Federation commenced as a coalition of three countries' associations. In 1977, delegates form Germany, Italy and Sweden founded the European Ju-Jitsu Federation (EJJF). As the number of member Nations increased, in and out of Europe, in 1987 the Federation changed its name to International Ju-Jitsu Federation (IJJF) and the original European nucleus of the Federation became the first Continental Union (EJJU) of the IJJF. Following a series of changes of its Statutes and a change to its membership structure, in 1998, the IJJF decided to change its name to the Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF).
In the early 90's the IJJF became a provisional member of the General Association of International Sport Federations (GAISF), member of International World Games Association (IWGA – part of the Olympic Movement together with the IOC) and affiliated to the Sport for All Federation (FISpT). During the 1998 GAISF Congress the JJIF obtained full membership status.
Ju-Jitsu under JJIF rules has been an event at the World Games since the 1997 World Games in Lahti, Finland.
Different schools (ryū) have been teaching traditional Jujutsu in Japan since the 15th century. The JJIF is not a governing body for any of these schools of traditional Japanese jujutsu—the JJIF does not exercise authority over traditional Japanese jujutsu styles, which are often instead headed by leaders who claim leadership from unbroken lineages of transmissions from different Japanese ryū, some of them hundreds of years old.