| Size: | 150 |
| Code: | JUD |
| Sport: | judo |
| Menevents: | 7 |
| Womenevents: | 7 |
| Mixedevents: | 1 |
Judo was first included in the Summer Olympic Games at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, Japan.[1] After not being included in 1968,[2] judo has been an Olympic sport in each Olympiad since then. Only male judoka participated until the 1988 Summer Olympics, when women's judo was organized as a demonstration sport. Women judoka were first awarded medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
| width=50 | Games | width=50 | Year | width=50 | Events | width=150 | Best Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | (1) | ||||||
| 6 | (2) | ||||||
| 6 | (3) | ||||||
| 8 | (1) | ||||||
| 8 | (4) | ||||||
| 7 + 7 | (1) | ||||||
| 14 | (5) | ||||||
| 14 | (6) | ||||||
| 14 | (7) | ||||||
| 14 | (8) | ||||||
| 14 | (9) | ||||||
| 14 | (1) | ||||||
| 14 | (10) | ||||||
| 15 | (11) | ||||||
| 15 | (12) |
Note: Women's judo made its first appearance at the 1988 Olympic Games, as a demonstration sport. Women's Judo became an official part of the Olympic games from the 1992 Barcelona games and has been an integral part of the games since.
Judoka compete in weight classes. Each country may qualify a maximum of one athlete per weight class.[3] Gold and silver medals are awarded based on a single elimination bracket. Two bronze medals are awarded in each weight class; quarter-finalists losers fight against each other in the same half of bracket. Losers finish in seventh place, winners advance to the bronze medal contest against losing semifinalist of the opposite half of the bracket. Winners of these contests receive bronze medal and losers finish in fifth place.
There have been between 4 and 8 Olympic weight classes over the years (currently 7), and the definition of each class has changed several times, as shown in the following table.
| 1964 | 1972–1976 | 1980–1984 | 1988–1996 | 2000–2024 [4] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open category no weight limits | |||||
| Heavyweight +80 kg | Heavyweight +93 kg | Heavyweight +95 kg | Heavyweight +100 kg | ||
| Half Heavyweight 90–100 kg | |||||
| Half Heavyweight 86–95 kg | |||||
| Half Heavyweight [5] 80–93 kg | |||||
| Middleweight 81–90 kg | |||||
| Middleweight 78–86 kg | |||||
| Half Middleweight 73–81 kg | |||||
| Middleweight 68–80 kg | Middleweight 70–80 kg | ||||
| Half Middleweight 71–78 kg | |||||
| Lightweight 66–73 kg | |||||
| Lightweight 65–71 kg | |||||
| Half Middleweight [6] 63–70 kg | |||||
| Lightweight -68 kg | |||||
| Half Lightweight 60–66 kg | |||||
| Half Lightweight 60–65 kg | |||||
| Lightweight -63 kg | |||||
| Extra Lightweight -60 kg | |||||
| 4 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | |
| 1992–1996 | 2000–2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight +72 kg | Heavyweight +78 kg | |
| Half Heavyweight 70–78 kg | ||
| Half Heavyweight 66–72 kg | ||
| Middleweight 63–70 kg | ||
| Middleweight 61–66 kg | ||
| Half Middleweight 57–63 kg | ||
| Half Middleweight 56–61 kg | ||
| Lightweight 52–57 kg | ||
| Lightweight 52–56 kg | ||
| Half Lightweight 48–52 kg | ||
| Extra Lightweight -48 kg | ||
| 7 | 7 | |
The mixed team event first made an appearance at the 2020 Olympic Games. The event includes teams of six athletes from different weight categories, including three men (-73 kg, -90 kg and +90 kg) and three women (-57 kg, -70 kg and +70 kg). Nation competes against nation, with rounds composed of six individual bouts. The winner of each bout will be awarded one point and the minimum score a team will need to progress to the next round will be 4:2.[7] If the score is 3:3, there will be an extra bout, with the category selected by draw.
Judoka from 56 nations have won medals, representing all 5 continents.[8] [9]
See also: List of Olympic medalists in judo. Updated as of 2024 Summer Olympics