In our first year, we were a bit lax about this and allowed it (although it was strongly discouraged, or rather we encouraged them to buy proper judogis). Within a short time though, we decided to implement a strict policy that if a person wants to train in judo at our club, they need to wear a judo.
They don't have to buy a judogi from us, they could order their own. But it has to be a judogi, not a BJJ gi or any other martial arts UNIFORM. Most definitely, it cannot be a karate or taekwondo gi.
We are a judo club. If you want to train in judo, you have to wear a judo uniform. It's as simple as that. You don't play badminton using a tennis racket. And you don't use soccer boots on a badminton court. You need to have the right vear for the sport you are playing.
Some people might say that a BJJ gi is close enough to a judogi that it's pretty much the same. It's not. BJJ gis are usually tighter and shorter than their equivalent sized judogi, which are very strictly regulated by the International Judo Federation. The sleeves need to be of a certain length, a certain size, etc. If the gi is too short or too tight, it's illegal because it gives the player an unfair advantage when nobody can grip their gi properly. So, from a sizing and looseness requirement alone, it is not practical for someone to wear a BJJ gi for judo.
But beyond that is also aesthetics. BJJ gis come in all colors and usually have a lot of patches on them. The only colors allowed in judo are white and blue and where your patches can be placed is severely limited. That is why judo players have a very common look. Some people say that's boring. Maybe it is but those are the rules.
As mentioned earlier, we're a judo club. Not a Mixed Martial Arts club or a judo club that also offers BJJ. We only do judo, so we expect our players to wear judogis.
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