Judo in the London Olympics 2012

Judo contests at the London 2012 Olympic Games will be a five-minute whirlwind of combat, with athletes attempting a combination of throws and holds in a bid to defeat their opponents.

Key Judo facts

Venue: ExCel
Dates: Saturday 28 July – Friday 3 August
Medal events: 14
Athletes: 386
Developed from jujitsu and established as a sport in the late 19th century by Dr Jigoro Kano, Judo is a sport for which athletes are called upon to employ an intricate mix of attack and defence. The sport’s one-on-one battles can be tough, tense and explosive, as competitors grapple for command against equally determined opponents.

Interesting Judo & Olympics Vignettes

Jujitsu, the sport on which judo is based, was the only samurai martial art that did not involve a weapon.
Striking was banned as a Judo technique in the mid-20th century, due to the sport’s original background as a method of self-defense.
Judo rules require competitors to bow when entering and leaving the mat – called a ‘tatami’ – and at the start and end of a fight.
The judo uniform is called a ‘judogi’. It is tied at the waist by a belt whose colour reflects the level of training achieved by an athlete (or ‘judoka’).

Interesting Judo Facts

The basics
Judo contests last five minutes, with scores awarded for different throws and holds. However, a contest ends immediately if a competitor is awarded ‘ippon’ – the maximum score. If the scores are tied after five minutes, the contest enters a golden score period, when the first score of any sort wins.

All of the Judo events at the London 2012 Olympic Games – seven for men, seven for women – will be played in a knockout format. The winners of each contest will qualify for the next round, with the two finalists going head to head in the gold medal contest. The defeated quarter-finalists will compete in two 'repechage' contests, the winners of which will then go up against the two defeated semi-finalists to determine the winners of the two bronze medals in each event.

Olympic Judo, past and present
Judo made its first appearance as a medal sport at the Olympic Games at Tokyo in 1964. A women’s competition was eventually added to the Olympic programme at Barcelona in 1992.

For London 2012, the Judo competition will be held at ExCeL, a multi-purpose events venue that will also host a number of other Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Jargon buster

Hajime: The referee's command to start a contest.
Judogi: A judo uniform.
Judoka: A competitor.
Tatami: The mat.

Information on the London Olympics & Paralympics 2012