Judo at the Summer Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Judo at the Summer Olympics |
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| Governing body | IJF |
| Events | 15 (men: 7; women: 7; mixed: 1) |
| Games | |
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Judo is a martial art and sport. It first became part of the Summer Olympic Games in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. After not being included in 1968, judo has been an Olympic sport in every Olympics since then.
At first, only male judoka (judo athletes) competed. Women's judo was shown as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics. This means it was played to show people what it was like, but no medals were given. Women judoka finally won medals for the first time at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
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Judo's Olympic Journey
Judo has been a part of the Olympics for many years. Japan has won the most medals in judo. They have been the top nation in judo at most Olympic Games. The number of events and weight classes has changed over time. For example, in 1964, there were 4 judo events. By 1992, there were 14 events. This shows how judo has grown in the Olympics.
How Judo Competitions Work
Judoka compete in different weight groups. Each country can send only one athlete for each weight group. Athletes compete in a single elimination bracket. This means if you lose a match, you are out of the running for the gold or silver medal.
Two bronze medals are given in each weight class. Athletes who lose in the quarter-finals (the round before the semi-finals) get another chance. They fight against other quarter-final losers. The winners of these matches then compete against the losing semi-finalists for the bronze medals.
Judo Weight Classes
Over the years, the number and definitions of weight classes in judo have changed. There have been between 4 and 8 weight classes. Currently, there are 7 weight classes for men and 7 for women.
For men, the weight classes have changed quite a bit since 1964. For example, in 1964, there was an "Open category" with no weight limits. Now, all men's categories have specific weight limits, like Heavyweight (+100 kg) or Extra Lightweight (-60 kg).
For women, the weight classes started in 1992. They have also seen some changes. Today, women compete in classes like Heavyweight (+78 kg) or Extra Lightweight (-48 kg).
Mixed Team Event
A new and exciting event, the mixed team event, was added at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In this event, teams are made up of six judoka from one country. Each team has three men and three women. They are from different weight categories.
The men's categories are -73 kg, -90 kg, and +90 kg. The women's categories are -57 kg, -70 kg, and +70 kg. Countries compete against each other in rounds. Each round has six individual matches. The team that wins at least 4 out of 6 matches moves on to the next round. If the score is tied at 3-3, one extra match is played to decide the winner. The category for this extra match is chosen by drawing lots.
Medal Table
Judoka from 56 different nations have won medals in judo at the Olympics. These nations come from all five continents.
Updated as of 2024 Summer Olympics
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Japan (JPN) |
51 | 23 | 30 | 104 |
| 2 |  France (FRA) |
18 | 15 | 34 | 67 |
| 3 |  South Korea (KOR) |
11 | 19 | 21 | 51 |
| 4 |  China (CHN) |
8 | 3 | 12 | 23 |
| 5 |  Cuba (CUB) |
6 | 15 | 16 | 37 |
| 6 |  Georgia (GEO) |
5 | 7 | 3 | 15 |
| 7 |  Soviet Union (URS) |
5 | 5 | 13 | 23 |
| 8 |  Brazil (BRA) |
5 | 4 | 19 | 28 |
| 9 |  Italy (ITA) |
5 | 4 | 9 | 18 |
| 10 |  Russia (RUS) |
5 | 4 | 7 | 16 |
| 11 |  Netherlands (NED) |
4 | 2 | 18 | 24 |
| 12 |  Germany (GER) |
3 | 4 | 15 | 22 |
| 13 |  Poland (POL) |
3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 14 |  Azerbaijan (AZE) |
3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 15 |  Slovenia (SLO) |
3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
 Spain (ESP) |
3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
| 17 |  Kosovo (KOS) |
3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 18 |  United States (USA) |
2 | 4 | 8 | 14 |
| 19 |  Austria (AUT) |
2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 20 |  North Korea (PRK) |
2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 21 |  Belgium (BEL) |
2 | 1 | 11 | 14 |
| 22 |  Unified Team (EUN) |
2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 23 |  Czech Republic (CZE) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 24 |  Mongolia (MGL) |
1 | 5 | 6 | 12 |
| 25 | West Germany (FRG) |
1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 26 |  Hungary (HUN) |
1 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 27 |  Uzbekistan (UZB) |
1 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| 28 |  East Germany (GDR) |
1 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 29 |  Canada (CAN) |
1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 30 |  Kazakhstan (KAZ) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
 Romania (ROU) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| 32 |  Switzerland (SUI) |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 33 |  Greece (GRE) |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 34 |  Argentina (ARG) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Belarus (BLR) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
 Turkey (TUR) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 37 |  Croatia (CRO) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 |  Great Britain (GBR) |
0 | 8 | 12 | 20 |
| 39 |  Israel (ISR) |
0 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| 40 |  Ukraine (UKR) |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 41 |  Bulgaria (BUL) |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 42 |  Algeria (ALG) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Colombia (COL) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Egypt (EGY) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 United Team of Germany (EUA) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 46 |  Chinese Taipei (TPE) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Mexico (MEX) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Slovakia (SVK) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 49 |  Portugal (POR) |
0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 50 |  Estonia (EST) |
0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
 ROC |
0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
 Tajikistan (TJK) |
0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 53 |  Australia (AUS) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Moldova (MDA) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
 Yugoslavia (YUG) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 56 |  Czechoslovakia (TCH) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Iceland (ISL) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Latvia (LAT) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Sweden (SWE) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 United Arab Emirates (UAE) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (61 entries) | 167 | 166 | 334 | 667 | |
See also
In Spanish: Judo en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
- List of Olympic venues in judo
- Judo at the Summer Paralympics
