Jigoro Kano introduced judo to Japan in 1882. He devoted his life to promoting the sport and training new athletes. Kano was a member of the International Olympic Committee and an associate of Baron Peirre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement. Men's judo was not added to the Olympic Games until 1964 and women's judo became an Olympic event in 1992. 

The uniform for judo is called judogi. These outfits are made from heavy cotton to allow athletes to grab on to their opponents collar, chest, and belt. The color of your belt tells how good you are at the sport. Beginners wear white belts and they work their way up to yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, black, red and white (or black), and red (or black). 

Judo takes place on a mat about 26 feet by 26 feet. Competitors bow to each other at the beginning and the end of the contest to show respect to each other. The winner is the person who has scored more points at the end of a five minute period. There is a referee and two judges who award the points. 

In the Olympics there are seven weight categories for men and seven weight categories for women.