Kano Sensei devoted his life to promoting the sport and training new Judoka. As a results, Judo has spread throughout the world. In 1956, the first Judo International Championships took place in Tokyo, with 31 athletes/participants from 21 countries. Today, in Olympic competition, there are seven weight classes for men and seven for women.
It should also be noted that Kano Sensei was a huge supporter of the Olympics and served as a member of the International Olympic Committee for thirty years. This dedication to athletic competition, even outside his own sport, shows the true strength of the martial artist in all aspects of life.
Scoring can be difficult to understand for the spectators that don't participate in the practice of this art. Here is a concise description, but it requires watching many matches before it becomes clear to most of us. I don't think I've had enough opportunities at this point!
Ippon - The goal in judo is to score an Ippon (10 points) by using a successful technique. An Ippon is awarded when an athlete throws his opponent onto his back combining speed, force and control.
Other scores awarded include waza-ari (7 points), yuko (5 points) and koka (3 points), when a technique does not meet the requirements for a full Ippon. The Athletes may also receive penalties: hansoku make (10 points), keikoku (7 points), chui (5 points) and shido (3 points). Two waza-ari add up to an Ippon, however, yuko and koka are not added. The winner is the competitor who has scored the greatest value points at the completion of the five minutes. (I understand that to mean that if one has waza-ari and the other has two yuko, the waza-ari wins, even though the two yuko add up to more points.)
Waza-ari - Awarded when the referee and judges rule that an element of the Ippon to be missing. The element may be that the opponent does not fall on the back or that enough force was shown.
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