33 judo high performance P Total investment 2016–17: $709,410 (high performance: $634,410; participation $75,000) ASC funding as a percentage of total income: 60% The Judo Federation of Australia (JFA) engaged a head coach and high performance administrator in part-time roles before and after the Rio Olympic Games. This enabled program management of Judo’s categorised athletes and planning for key events, including the Games. Results and development of underpinning pathway athletes in 2016 have been positive, with a number of medal and top-eight outcomes achieved in recent tours. Work has also begun with the AIS to develop a national pathways framework for the sport. A team of seven athletes aged 18–24 travelled to Rio, all competing in their first Olympic Games. They achieved three top-16 performances but no athlete performed above expectations. Decision-making under duress needs to be developed as well as an ability to impose their style of judo against other athletes. Following recommendations coming out of an ASC-led governance review, Judo employed its first CEO in 2014, with the current CEO appointed in 2015. There has also been a broadening skill mix transitioned onto the JFA board. Shifts in the high performance leadership have been less pronounced, but enhancements have been made through changes to the broader organisation. The young team, doubled with the recent positive international results for pathways athletes, bodes well for future campaigns. While there are capable club coaches across the country, there was no specific technical lead in Australia until December 2015. This, combined with a lack of non-technical high performance leadership capacity created ongoing challenges throughout the four-year cycle regarding the program management of key athletes. While increased centralised camp activity has created stimulus to the athlete cohort, the isolated training environments outside of these camps remains a challenge for many key athletes. Governance commentary The Judo Federation of Australia has improved its compliance with the ASC’s Mandatory Sports Governance Principles, as a result of an increased focus on governance. It has recently completed the transition to a company limited by guarantee and a new constitution. It has also undergone significant board renewal resulting in greater gender balance and diversity on the board. Judo would benefit from undertaking a board evaluation in 2017 and continuing to develop its integrity framework, with particular attention to the training and education underpinning its policy documents. 2016 benchmark event // Olympic Games medal target 0–1 actual gold 0 silver 0 bronze 0 total 0 non-medal target achieved N