Judo - Overview

Judo is a modern form of martial art which needs great balance upon one’s body and mind. The word Judo means gentle way. The sport was originated in Japan in the 19th century and Jigoro Kano is known as the father of this sport. Earlier, it was confined to only Japan but later due to its popularity it made its place in Olympics in 1964.

Judo was initially learnt as a self-defence martial arts technique. So it is quite obvious that most of its steps are to hurt another person, but later on, suitable modifications were made so that students can learn this art without hurting each other.

Judo Initial

The person who practices judo is called judoka. The main objective of a judoka is to pin down his opponent to the ground and immobilize him through locking body’s joint parts or by choking him.

Judo − Age Group

The world championship for women and men has no particular maximum age boundary. However; no person below 15 years of age is allowed to play in any competition of judo as decided by International Judo Federation (IJF).

For Junior World Championship (under 20), men and women from 15-19 years old are eligible. For Cadets World Championship (under 17), boys and girls of age 15 and 16 years are eligible.

Judo Calendar

There are various types of competitions that are organized throughout the year by International Judo Federation. The list is as follows −

  • World Championship and Team World Championship
  • Open World Championship
  • Junior World Championship
  • Cadets World Championship
  • Summer Olympics
  • Winter Olympics

Participating Countries

After gaining popularity in Japan, the game soon started to spread its wings throughout the world and now it is being played by many Asian and Non-Asian countries.

Apart from Japan, many other Asian countries like India, South Korea, China, Mongolia, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Thailand, Kuwait, Indonesia, and Myanmar are also taking active part in this game.

Asian Games for Judo are organized once in every four years. Its latest edition was organized in Inchon, South Korea, in the year 2014.

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