The Home Country Sports Councils will continue to recognise the British Ju Jitsu Association (BJJAGB) as the national governing body for the sport in the United Kingdom as they now meet the Sports Councils Recognition Policy criteria.
The recognition is, however, subject to the NGB meeting a number of conditions and demonstrating their commitment to creating an organisation and environment in which everyone would feel welcome when taking part in ju jitsu.
Last August, following a comprehensive recognition review conducted by Sport England in line with the Sports Councils Recognition Policy criteria, the Boards of Sport England, sportscotland, Sport Wales and Sport Northern Ireland unanimously decided to accept the review’s findings and proceed to derecognise the BJJAGB.
The BJJAGB was given a deadline of October 1, 2023, to submit relevant evidence and information showing it was capable of meeting the policy criteria in order to maintain its NGB status.
Following an extensive review, the Home Country Sports Councils have agreed that their continued recognition of the BJJAGB shall be subject to the following conditions:
- The BJJAGB must publish a written statement, that is satisfactory to the Home Country Sports Councils, setting out its commitment to embed cultural change in the BJJAGB and create an NGB that will provide welcoming environments for everyone who takes part in ju-jitsu. This must be published before 16 July 2024.
- By 13 August 2024, BJJAGB must establish an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) working group which will review, on an ongoing basis, the BJJAGB’s EDI policies and practices. Membership of the EDI Working Group must reflect the diverse nature of the BJJAGB’s membership and must include BJJAGB Board Members as well as representatives from member clubs and associations. The EDI Working Group must adopt Terms of Reference that are satisfactory to the Home Country Sports Councils.
- BJJAGB will adopt recommendations towards the BJJAGB becoming a more open and welcoming organisation as specified by the Moving to Inclusion framework.
Sport England, on behalf of the Home Country Sports Councils, will allocate a Moving to Inclusion mentor with whom you will work to evaluate the BJJAGB’s EDI practices and create a Continuous Improvement Plan that is satisfactory to the Home Country Sports Councils.
The Plan will be published within a timescale that is satisfactory to the Home Country Sports Councils and will set out recommended changes across the areas of culture, leadership, experience, relationships and communication within the organisation.
BJJAGB will retain the Plan and Sport England, on behalf of the Home Country Sports Councils, will review progress against its recommendations and their ongoing implementation.
Any failure to fully comply with any of the above conditions will result in the automatic de-recognition of the BJJAGB.