Judo was first included in the Summer Olympic Games at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, Japan. After not being included in 1968,Japan Shocked By IOC, Pacific Stars And Stripes, October 20, 1963, p. 19. judo has been an Olympic sport in each Olympiad since then. Only male judoka participated until the 1988 Summer Olympics, when women's judo was organized as a demonstration sport. Women judoka were first awarded medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Summary
GamesYear EventsBest Nation18 1964 4 (1)19 20 1972 6 (2)21 1976 6 (3)22 1980 8 (1)23 1984 8 (4)24 1988 7 + 7 (1)25 1992 14 (5)26 1996 14 (6)27 2000 14 (7)28 2004 14 (8)29 2008 14 (9)30 2012 14 (1)31 2016 14 (10)32 2020 15 (11)33 2024 15 (12)34 2028 15
Note: Women's judo made its first appearance at the 1988 Olympic Games, as a demonstration sport. Women's Judo became an official part of the Olympic games from the 1992 Barcelona games and has been an integral part of the games since.
Competition format Judoka compete in weight classes. Each country may qualify a maximum of one athlete per weight class. Gold and silver medals are awarded based on a single elimination bracket. Two bronze medals are awarded in each weight class; quarter-finalists losers fight against each other in the same half of bracket. Losers finish in seventh place, winners advance to the bronze medal contest against losing semifinalist of the opposite half of the bracket. Winners of these contests receive bronze medal and losers finish in fifth place.
Weight classes There have been between 4 and 8 Olympic weight classes over the years (currently 7), and the definition of each class has changed several times, as shown in the following table.
Men 1964 1972–1976 1980–1984 1988–1996 2000–2028 Open categoryno weight limits Heavyweight+80 kgHeavyweight+93 kgHeavyweight+95 kgHeavyweight+100 kgHalf Heavyweight90–100 kgHalf Heavyweight86–95 kgHalf Heavyweight Called "Light Heavyweight" in official reports for 1972 and 1976 Games.80–93 kgMiddleweight81–90 kgMiddleweight78–86 kgHalf Middleweight73–81 kgMiddleweight68–80 kgMiddleweight70–80 kgHalf Middleweight71–78 kgLightweight66–73 kgLightweight65–71 kgHalf Middleweight Called "Welterweight" in 1972 Games official report and "Light Middleweight" in 1976 Games official report.63–70 kgLightweight-68 kgHalf Lightweight60–66 kgHalf Lightweight60–65 kgLightweight-63 kgExtra Lightweight-60 kg46877
Women 1992–1996 2000–2028 Heavyweight+72 kgHeavyweight+78 kgHalf Heavyweight70–78 kgHalf Heavyweight66–72 kgMiddleweight63–70 kgMiddleweight61–66 kgHalf Middleweight57–63 kgHalf Middleweight56–61 kgLightweight52–57 kgLightweight52–56 kgHalf Lightweight48–52 kgExtra Lightweight-48 kg77
Mixed team event The mixed team event first made an appearance at the 2020 Olympic Games. The event includes teams of six athletes from different weight categories, including three men (-73 kg, -90 kg and +90 kg) and three women (-57 kg, -70 kg and +70 kg). Nation competes against nation, with rounds composed of six individual bouts. The winner of each bout will be awarded one point and the minimum score a team will need to progress to the next round will be 4:2. If the score is 3:3, there will be an extra bout, with the category selected by draw.
Medal table Judoka from 56 nations have won medals, representing all 5 continents. (Note: Source counts two medals won by EUA for GER.)
Updated as of 2024 Summer Olympics
Number of judoka by nation
See also List of Olympic venues in judo Judo at the Summer Paralympics
References