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Judo made its Olympic debut in the 1964 Tokyo Games, and would become a permanent fixture at the world’s biggest sporting event from the Munich 1972 onwards. The upcoming Paris Games will witness 378 judokas from 122 nations fight it out for the medals on offer. read more
 "Judo - history, rules, defending champions")
Japan's Takanori Nagase (left) had won the men's 81kg judo gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Reuters
The word “judo” translates to “the gentle way”. The competitive wrestling sport that involves hand-to-hand combat technique couldn’t be more different, especially when there’s an Olympic medal involved.
The modern sport of judo was founded by Dr Jigoro Kano, who established the first ‘dojo’ (school) in Tokyo in 1882, and is a derivative of the ancient Japanese martial art of jiu-jitsu. Though it bears some similarities with wrestling, the rule that forbids judokas from grabbing their opponents’ legs is what sets it apart.
It would later spread to Europe and elsewhere across the globe towards the second half of the 20th century, and would become one of the most popular forms of martial arts across the world.
What is judo’s history at Olympics?
Judo made its Olympic debut in the 1964 Tokyo Games, and would become a permanent fixture at the world’s biggest sporting event from the Munich 1972 onwards. While the women’s competition was initially introduced as an exhibition event in 1988, it would become a medal event in Barcelona four years later.
Japan remains the most successful Judo nation at the Olympics, winning 96 medals since its introduction in 1964. France is second on the all-time medal table with 57 medals while Republic of Korea sits at the third spot with 46.
What are the rules?
Simply put, the objective of a judoka is to cleanly throw, pin or master their opponent by applying pressure to arm joints or on the neck.
There are two types of scores in judo — ippon and waza-ari.
Ippon’s awarded when a judoka throws his/her opponent to the mat on their back with strength, speed and control, or can also be awarded through submission or by pinning them to the ground for 20 seconds. An ippon results in an instant victory.
A waza-ari, on the other hand, is awarded when the throw isn’t clear enough to be an ippon or when the judoka has pinned his/her opponent to the mat for less than 20 seconds, but more than 10 seconds. Two waza-aris lead to an ippon, thereby a victory.
Who are the reigning champions?
Men’s 60 kg: Naohisa Takato, Japan.
Men’s 66 kg: Hifumi Abe, Japan.
Men’s 73 kg: Shohei Ono, Japan.
Men’s 81 kg: Takanori Nagase, Japan.
Men’s 90 kg: Lasha Bekauri, Georgia.
Men’s 100 kg: Aaron Wolf, Japan.
Men’s +100 kg: Lukas Krpalek, Czech Republic.
Women’s 48 kg: Distria Krasniqi, Kosovo.
Women’s 52 kg: Uta Abe, Japan.
Women’s 57 kg: Nora Gjakova, Kosovo.
Women’s 63 kg: Clarisse Agbegnenou, France.
Women’s 70 kg: Chizuru Arai, Japan.
Women’s 78 kg: Shori Hamada, Japan.
Women’s +78 kg: Akira Sone, Japan.
Mixed team: France.
Which countries have qualified?
The Paris Olympics will feature a total of 378 judokas (192 men and 186 women) from 122 countries across five continents competing in the Games starting later this month. Tulika Maan (women’s 78kg) is the only Indian judoka competing at the Paris Games.
Who are the athletes to watch in judo?
Teddy Riner, France: The world’s most famous active judoka attempts to cap his incredible career with a record-tying third individual Olympic gold medal in front of his home fans. Now 35, Riner took a shocking quarterfinal loss in Tokyo, but the 11-time world champion heavyweight still won gold in the mixed team event.
Uta Abe and Hifumi Abe, Japan: The siblings will attempt to win gold medals on the same day in the second consecutive Olympics. They accomplished the unprecedented feat three years ago in Tokyo, and both have won world championships in both of the two years since then.
Clarisse Agbegnenou, France: The six-time world champion is the favorite to win her second straight Olympic gold. She’s trying to do it at home and less than two years after giving birth to her daughter.
Lukas Krpalek, Czech Republic: Riner could get beaten to history by Krpalek, the comparatively unsung two-time Olympic champion who seized heavyweight gold in Tokyo after Riner was upset.
When and where will judo take place at Paris Olympics?
Judo begins on 27 July and concludes on 3 August with the mixed team competition. The bouts will be held at Champ-de-Mars Arena, a temporary facility built in the public green space stretching out from the Eiffel Tower.
With AP inputs
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