This marital arts originated in Japan in 1882, founded by Jigoro Kano. One of the main principles that define judo is “maximum efficiency with the minimal effort.” As a sport, the objective is to bring down the opponent in the “tatami” and punctuation is established by knocking down the opponent and the quality of the movement being executed. An athlete wins the fight when they get a complete point (ippon), submit their opponent (through strangulation or a key grip) or by immobilizing the opponent for 25 seconds. The wazari refers to half a point and the yuko to a third of a point. The judogui (white or blue komono) and the obi (the graduation gown) are the official uniforms.

The event debuted in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, and since then has only been left out during Mexico 1968. During the program, there are 14 gold medals, divided by seven categories among the men and women. Japan dominated the event historically with 35 gold medals and 65 total medals. France (10 gold medals), South Korea (nine gold medals) and China (eight gold medals) follow. In London 2012, the Judo event will take place in ExCel London.

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