Judo, which means “the gentle way” in Japanese, was added as an Olympic event at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. The host country was allowed to add one sport, and fittingly, Japan added men’s Judo. Women didn’t get in on the action until the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona. At the first games, Japan won three out of the four weight classes. Today, both men and women compete in seven different weight classes ranging from under 60kg to over 100kg. Judo was developed by Dr Jigoro Kano in the 1880s and was evolved from Jiu-Jitsu, the hand-to-hand combat technique of ancient samurai warriors. It is the most widely practiced martial art the world over and is second only to soccer as the most practiced sport in the world.
A judo match takes place between two players called “judoka.” The objective is to score an ippon, similar to a pin in wrestling or a knockout in boxing. When an ippon is scored, a match is over. There are three ways to attain an ippon: (1) Knock the opponent over so that he lands hard on the back, (2) Hold the opponent on the back for 25 seconds, (3) Make the opponent submit by a strangle hold (choke) or an armlock. Other partial points can be scored but it is the highest quality score that wins a bout. Players are penalized for things like intentionally going out of bounds, stalling, being too defensive, or performing dangerous acts.
Three referees officiate in a contest. Two sit at opposite corners and the third moves around the mat to observe the players. The contest area is a square eight meters long on each side, with a red outer meter (“danger area”) that players can only remain in for a few seconds before attempting a throw. Gold and silver medals are awarded based on a single elimination bracket and two bronze medals are awarded in each weight class. The U.S. team has seen plenty of Olympic silver and bronze since Judo, but gold has been elusive and has mostly gone to Japanese, French and South Korean players.
