Introduction: Judo South Africa currently faces a challenge of low participation in the sport, which is attributed to numerous factors. Judo South Africa (JSA) must understand the barriers and facilitators within the South African context. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for promoting diversity, inclusivity, and equity, given the sport’s historical legacy of racial segregation. This study investigated factors that influence the recruitment and retention of individuals from different race groups in JSA.

Material and Methodology: Electronic questionnaires were employed to conduct a focus group, which included 90 elite judokas, 30 technical officials, and 30 coaches. The study design adopted an exploratory approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative data. Ethical clearance and permission letters to conduct research and speak to athletes were obtained from the University of Zululand Ethics Committee and Judo South Africa Secretary General, respectively.

Results: Study findings show that most participants believe that barriers to judo participation are often overstated. Athletes, coaches and technical officials indicated that transportation to training venues was not a major issue and agreed that government funding was poor for judo. Lack of quality of coaches and lack of funding, amongst others, was a major barrier to participation in judo.

Discussion: The range of factors influence the attraction and retention of athletes in judo, depending on their social status within their respective communities. Overall, the perceptions of athletes, coaches, and technical officials regarding transportation, facility access, and coaching quality are positive.

Conclusion: The reflections by participants are valuable for fostering a more inclusive and diverse judo community in South Africa. In the context of South Africa, the availability of transportation will ease the participation of athletes in training programs as well as competitions. Common themes that dominated findings were lack of resources, improperly located judo clubs and lack of encouragements from family and friends.