FLANDERS OPEN 2027

16-17 January 2027

📍 Sporthal De Rode Loop, Rodeloopstraat 2, 2170 Antwerp

This is a Jujitsu Fighting, Groundfight and Jiu Jitsu/BJJ competition for ages 8 to Adults.  The event is not an official JJIF-ranking tournament but we follow the JJIF ruleset to ensure consistency, safety, and high standards across all matches.

Saturday => Fighting

Sunday => Jiu-Jitsu (Newaza) & Groundfight

 Entry Fee 

💥 Early Bird 

• till 22/10/2026
• Fighting and Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) € 40 per category
• Groundfight €20 per category

🔒 Standard 

• till 20/12/2026
• Fighting and Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) € 50 per category, €40 for a second category
• Groundfight €25 per category                                                                                           

⏰ Late Entry

• from 20/12/2026 till 08/01/2027
• Additional cost per category
• We strongly encourage early registration to take advantage of savings and secure your spot.         

Coaches and team officials

Coaches need to register under coach pass so they also need an account on Smoothcomp.  For every 5 athletes registered per club, 1 coach will be accredited free of charge.

Each club can accredit 1 team official free of charge. Officials must send an email to info.flandersopen@gmail.com to register.

Additional coach or official? Then € 20 per additional accreditation will be charged.

 Divisions and Categories

We offer categories for the following age groups:

• U10: Ages 8–9 
• U12: Ages 10–11 
• U14: Ages 12–13 
• U16: Ages 14–15 
• U18: Ages 16–17 
• U21: Ages 18–20 
• Aduts 20+ 

The age category will be determined based on the age you will be in 2027, it doesn’t matter whether you were born in January or December.

Athletes may enter multiple disciplines.  The organization cannot guarantee that in case of multiple entries by the same athlete on the same competition day, the competitions will be sufficiently spread out in time and will not take place simultaneously. This risk is for the account of the athlete.

A second entry has to be in another discipline, weight and/or age category!

Ruleset

This event will use the JJIF ruleset for both Fighting and Jiu-Jitsu (You can find full JJIF rules on: https://jjif.sport/downloads ) and the VJJF ruleset for Groundfight.

WHITE GI for ALL categories!!!

• This is not a JJIF ranking event or officially endorsed by JJIF.
• The Jiu-Jitsu ruleset is similar to IBJJF but with some additional permitted submissions. (See additional page)

Weigh-In & Accreditation 

Accreditation

All coaches, officials and athletes sign in at registration and will receive a personalized accreditation after verification of payment.  This accreditation is necessary to gain access to the  weigh-in, sports hall, warm-up and competition areas.

Weigh-In

• Fridayevening before the event during setup, only for competition on Saturday, 19h till 21h
• On the day of the event 7h-8h , Saturday for competition on Sunday 16h till 18h00
• Weigh in in shorts and T-shirt or rash guard
• Only with ID! (en geldig VJJF lidmaatschap voor Vlaamse atleten)
• Failure to hit weight will result in DQ (Scales available to test weight before, no refund) 

Competition Dressing and Personal Requirements 

• The competitors shall wear a good quality WHITE Ju-Jitsu Gi which must be clean and  in good order. They shall wear red or blue belts.
• Female competitors are required to wear a plain white T-shirt or leotard under their Gi. 
• Men are not allowed to wear anything under their Gi-jacket.
• Competitors must have short fingernails and toenails. Long hair must be tied up with soft hair-band.

 Coach and Referee Meeting

A Coach and Referee Meeting will be held around 8h30 on Saturday and Sunday.

• This is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged.
• The purpose is to answer any final questions, clarify expectations, and ensure everyone is aligned before competition begins.
• Once the event starts, communication with referees will be restricted due to time pressures and the challenge rule being in effect. This meeting is your chance to ask questions and gain clarity ahead of time.                                                                                  

 Athlete Communications

All event information (e.g. bracket release, weigh-in times, future event news) will be sent using the contact details provided at registration. Please ensure your information is accurate and up to date.

 Spectator Entry

• €5 per person, kids under 8 free entrance
• €8 per person for 2 days

  Liability

The organizing entities and their employees are not responsible and are not liable before, during and after the tournament for eventual thefts, damages, accidents and injuries regardless of the capacity of the person concerned such as employee, coach, athlete, referee, etc. Any hotel bookings are made under your own responsibility.

Club managers, team leaders and coaches ensure that all their participants are physically fit and properly prepared to participate in the competitions entered. Moreover, this is also each individual athlete's own responsibility.

All participants in the tournament, regardless of capacity, are advised to have proper personal medical insurance and accident (liability) insurance.