Olympic Judo

Judo finds its origins in the ancient art of Jujitsu which in turn was based on the hand to hand combat techniques that the samurai warriors used. Literally translated Judo means “the gentle way” which is reflective of the self control and respect cornerstones of the sport.

The first Judo school opened in Japan in 1882 and the founder Dr Jogoro Kano laid down the ground rules for the sport, most of which have been retained to the present day. Since its inception, Judo has gained international popularity with more than 13 million regular participants, spanning 111 countries.

As the name would suggest, Judo is a hand to hand game which is based largely on skill and strength rather than brute force. There are a series of moves based on either defensive movement or attacking movements in which one opponent tries to hold down another on the floor for a set period of time.

Each round lasts five minutes and is contained on a thirty three square foot mat. The aim is to score an Ippon, which produces ten points and can be achieved in a series of prescribed ways. If neither party scores an Ippon the competitor with the higher score will win.

Judo was introduced in 1964 when the games went to Tokyo. Initially, there were only four weight categories; however, this has now been extended to seven. Women first competed in the Olympic Games in 1992.