Paris 2024 Olympics: events, history, athletes... judo at the Olympic and Paralympic Games

It's a much-loved and much-watched combat sport to look forward to: judo is one of the disciplines practiced during these Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Events in this martial art will be contested at theArena Champ-de-Mars, the XXL Olympic venue that has taken up residence in the Grand Palais Éphémère.

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The history of judo :

This martial art from Japan is as much a sport as it is a philosophy of life. Its practitioners practice "the proper use of energy", and owe each other "mutual aid and prosperity", according to the principles laid down by Jigorō Kanō, the creator of judo.

Judo is a sport created in 1882 by Jigorō Kanō, a martial arts master who promoted a more moral, less brutal method of combat. According to legend, it was while observing the snow lying on the trees that Jigorō Kanō imagined a martial art where smaller children could defeat stronger opponents, using their flexibility and energy. The weight of the snow would break large tree branches, while the more supple would simply bend and drop their load. An idea taken up and developed by the master of combat.

Judo at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games:

• Arena Champ-de-Mars
• individual and team events
• July 27 to August 6 and September 3 to 7

Judo in the History of the Olympic and Paralympic Games:

In France, judo first appeared in the 1930s, but developed particularly strongly after the Second World War. It wasn't until 1972 that judo became a permanent fixture at the Olympic Games, and it was not until 20 years later that women's events were added to the program.

Para judo was first included in the Paralympic program for men at the 1988 Seoul Games, while women had to wait until the 2004 Athens Games to take part.

Judo at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, its rules :

Judokas duel on a tatami for five-minute bouts (for adults). There are several ways to score points and win the fight. Generally speaking, the aim is to overturn the opponent and immobilize him on the ground, notably by performing an arm lock.
The sport is divided into weight categories, and by gender. In 2024, there will be seven tournaments for women (-48kg, -52kg, -57kg, -63kg, -70kg, -78kg, +78kg), seven for men (-60kg, -66kg, -73kg, -81kg, -90kg, -100kg, +100kg) and one mixed team tournament.

Para judo, reserved for visually impaired athletes, applies the same rules as Olympic judo. However, because of their disability, the combatants must maintain constant contact; if this contact is broken, the referee interrupts the bout. Thus, from the start of the match, judokas grab their opponent's judogi (judo uniform).

Judo at the Paris 2024 Olympics and JOP, French athletes :

If France loves judo so much, it's because we excel at it! At the world championships, Teddy Riner is the most decorated judoka in history, with 11 medals, including 10 gold. He is well ahead of Japan's Naoya Ogawa (seven medals, including 4 gold). And that's not all! On the third step of the podium, we find two Japanese men, and another Frenchman: David Douillet, with his four gold medals.
On the women's side, success was also the order of the day: Clarisse Agbégnénou is fourth in the world in terms of most gold medals (five titles), and third in the world in terms of most medals (five gold, two silver).
During the Olympic Games too , Les Bleus stand out. Here, the champion remains - for the time being - Tadahiro Nomura. The Japanese is the only judoka to have achieved individual Olympic champion status three times. He triumphed in 1996, 2000 and 2004. But Teddy Riner is just behind him, with two Olympic titles in the individual category, and one in the mixed team category.

For these Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, several French para judokas are worth keeping a close eye on, including Sandrine Martinet, Jason Grandry and Hélios Latchoumanaya.

Where can you practice judo in Paris and the Ile-de-France region?

Would you like to take up judo too? There are over 5,000 clubs in France, including more than 1,000 in the Paris region. To find one near you, visit the French Judo Federation website.

The program at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games