Judo

Judo means “the gentle way” in Japanese and its philosophy is to integrate the body and the mind. It is derived in part from jujitsu, the hand-to-hand combat technique of the ancient samurai warriors. Developed by Jigoro Kano in 1882, the sport debuted in the Tokyo Olympic Games of 1964 for men. Judo for women was introduced into the sport programme of the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games.

In the Rio 2016 Games, the Judo competitions will take place in the Olympic Training Centre – Hall 2, part of the Rio Olympic Park located at Barra da Tijuca.

Inside the competition

The fighting technique basically consists of using the opponent’s force to knock him down. Kicks and punches are not allowed and contests last five minutes.

However, if the competition finishes after five minutes and each judokas have the same score, the winner will be determined by the “golden point”, a type of “sudden death” where the first to successfully score wins. If the tie persists, the referee and the two side judges indicate the winner by displaying flags.

Scoring

To have an immediate win, the athlete has to score an ippon. There are 3 different ways to score an ippon:

1) Throwing the adversary onto his back with speed, strength and control.

2) Trapping the adversary in an armlock or stranglehold, defeating him or her by submission.

3) Immobilising an adversary on the floor for 25 seconds (osaekomi).

If the opponent fall on his/her back onto the ground without speed or strength, the athlete that made the other fall is awarded a waza-ari. Two waza-ari are equivalent to an ippon, ending the fight immediately.

During the contest, a judoka can be awarded points by scoring Yuko which is given when the opponent falls and hits the ground with the side of the body.

Points can also be scored when a hold does not reach the required 25 seconds: a yuko is given for holds lasting 15 to 19 seconds and a waza-ari is given when it lasts 20 to 24 seconds.

Penalties

In Judo, a warning is called shido and is given for a variety of reasons such as:

- Passivity

- Disobeying a judge

- Voluntary fall to the floor

- False attack

The first shido is a warning but if a second shido is awarded the opponent receives a yuko. A waza-ari is given for a third and if a fourth shido is awarded the judoka is disqualified and the opponent wins by ippon.

A dangerous move can cause instant disqualification (hansukomake).

Categories

Both women and men compete in seven weight categories, as follows:

Men: under 60kg, 60-66kg, 66-73kg, 73-81kg, 81-90kg, 90-100kg and over 100kg

Women: under 48kg, 48-52kg, 52-57kg, 57-63kg, 63-70kg, 70-78kg and over 78kg