Guide to following judo at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (July 26 to August 11):
– The origins –
Judo, whose name means “the path to flexibility”, is a martial art derived from jiu-jitsu, which encompassed the unarmed combat techniques of the samurai.
Created in 1882 by the revered Jigoro Kano, whose portrait appears in all the dojos of the world, it became an Olympic sport starting with the Tokyo edition in 1964, although women did not compete until Barcelona in 1992.
Kano, who was the son of a family of sake producers, invented this martial art as a method of physical, intellectual and moral education, with the intention of improving society.
It is not only based on the strength of the fighter, but on the ability to take advantage of the opponent’s momentum and movements to make him fall.
Two of the most iconic dojos in the history of this sport are located in Japan: the Kodokan in Tokyo, where this martial art was created, and the Nippon Budokan, where the Olympic trials were held in 1964 and 2021.
– The rules –
Judo is governed by two point systems: ippon and waza-ari.
Ippon: The main objective in judo is to put the opponent on his back by grabbing him by the kimono and through a combination of strength, speed and control. When this happens, the referee indicates that an ippon has occurred and the fight is over.
Waza-ari: If the opponent does not land on his back or the fall is not completely clean, then the fighter does not score an ippon, but he does have the chance to score waza-ari points. And when he scores two points, he wins the fight.
Matches can take place on the ground, where wrestlers can achieve an ippon by subjecting their opponent to an armbar, choke, or immobilization for 20 seconds.
In the case of immobilizations lasting more than 10 seconds and less than 20, a waza-ari point is awarded.
The fights last four minutes, unless they end early due to one of the wrestlers achieving an ippon. In case of a tie, the fight continues until one of the two judokas scores.
Fights may also be ended early if one of the wrestlers is disqualified (‘hansoku-make’), either directly or indirectly due to three infractions (‘shido’).
The most common violations tend to consist of refusing to fight, making a false attack or putting the opponent’s health at risk in the cervical area.
The judokas face each other on a 14x14m tatami and the combat is limited to a 10x10m square perimeter.
– Weight categories –
Women: -48 kg, -52 kg, -57 kg, -63 kg, -70 kg, -78 kg and +78 kg.
Men: -60 kg, -66 kg, -73 kg, -81 kg, -90 kg, -100 kg and +100 kg.
– Mixed team events –
In addition to the 14 individual competitions, there is a mixed team competition on the final day.
Each country’s team is made up of six wrestlers in different categories (-57 kg, -70 kg and +70 kg for women and -73 kg, -90 kg and +90 kg for men).
In this competition, a 5% tolerance is applied to the weight of the fighters, for example, a judoka weighing 59.9 kg can fight in the -57 kg category.
– The format –
A draw decides the matches between the different fighters through elimination phases.
The eight seeded athletes, according to the Olympic ranking, may be exempt from the first phase depending on the number of judokas registered.
The four losers in the quarter-finals have a play-off to compete for the bronze medal, which they will play against the two losers in the semi-finals.
– Test schedule –
The judo events will take place during the first week of the Games, between July 27 and August 3.
Saturday, July 27: -48 kg (women) and -60 kg (men).
Sunday, July 28: -52 kg and -66 kg.
Monday, July 29: -57 kg and -73 kg.
Tuesday, July 30: -63 kg and -81 kg.
Wednesday, July 31: -70 kg and -90 kg.
Thursday, August 1: -78 kg and -100 kg.
Friday, August 2: +78 kg and +100 kg.
Saturday, August 3: mixed team event.
– The venue of the competition –
The judo events will be held at the Arena du Champ de Mars, which has a capacity of 8,500 spectators and is located opposite the Eiffel Tower.
Also known as the ‘Ephemeral Grand Palais’, this pavilion was designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte and will be dismantled after the Games.
– Riner to enter history
At 35, Frenchman Teddy Riner (two-time Olympic champion and 11 world titles) will fight to become only the second judoka in history to win three golds at a single Games, although he would be the first to do so in the top heavyweight category.
Until now, only the Japanese Tadahiro Nomura achieved this feat, in the lightweight category (1996, 2000 and 2004).
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AFPConocé The Trust Project
2024-07-03 09:25:31
#Guide #judo #Paris #Games
