Olympic Judo

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Judo is a martial art focusing on hand-to-hand combat. It is the most widely practices martial art in the world and has its roots in Japan where the first school was opened in 1882. The sport was introduced at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 with Japanese athletes winning gold in three of the four events. Women's events were introduced to the Barcelona 1992 Olympics.

Judo developed from Jujitsu which was a hand-to-hand combat technique of ancient samurai warriors. The moral code is important and the sport is meant to reflect the moral code of politeness, courage, sincerity, self-control, honour, modesty, friendship, and respect.

In Olympic Judo, combatants are referred to as 'judoka' and their goal is to score an 'Ippon' which would be the equivalent in boxing to a knockout. An Ippon is worth ten points and is accomplished by using a successful technique. Of neither judoka are able to perform an Ippon, scores are tallied based on lesser moves and a winner is chose based on those points. Olympic Judo matches take place on a 10 square meter (33 square foot) mat known as a 'tatami'. There are different weight classes and both men and last 5 minutes.

During the London 2012 Olympics, judo will be held at the ExCel arena from July 28^th to August 3^rd with 14 gold medals being awarded across various weight categories. The area is located in east London and the venue is already built, it will just be modified to host judo and several other events.

Judo is not as action-packed as many other Olympic sports but it requires the athletes to react quickly to their opponents. If you enjoy martial arts, check out judo.