A Japanese martial art, judo was first introduced to the Olympics in 1964. Players wearing either blue or white face off on a 10-by-10-meter mat. The main goal of the sport is to throw or take down an opponent and pinning them to the mat.
Judoka can win by ippon (full point) or accumulate by waza-ari (half points). Ippon is the equivalent of a knockout in boxing and the match ends when an ippon is scored. Judoka can score an ippon when an opponent’s back hits the mat after a controlled, decisive throw, if they pin the opponent on the mat for 20 seconds or they can make their opponent surrender with a chokehold.
Judoka can gain waza-ari when a throw is successful and with two waza-ari, judoka can win the match. If the scores are tied, the match goes to overtime or “golden score,” where the judoka who scores first wins. There are 100 moves that are categorized into two categories; throwing (68) and grappling (32).
With over 200 countries and regions participating in this sport, many judo athletes have developed their own unique style that combines other martial arts. With the sport evolving by adopting moves from other martial arts, there might be history in the making in Tokyo 2020.
Judo will be held July 24-31.
Venue and access information
Judo will take place at Nippon Budokan, known as the mecca of Japanese martial arts and the venue where judo took place when it was first introduced to the Olympics in 1964. The venue holds 11,000 people and is five minutes from Kudanshita Station on Tokyo Metro Tozai and Hanzomon lines and the Toei Shinjuku Line.
