Para Judo

The Japanese martial art of Para Judo debuted at the Paralympics in 1988 for men and 2004 for women and was the first martial art included in the Paralympics. It is a strategic combat sport where athletes with blindness or who are partially sighted aim to throw their opponent, immobilize them with a hold down or force them to submit through joint locks or chokeholds. Characterized by quick reactions, sharp focus and strength, contests, divided into weight categories and visual impairment classes for both men and women, last four minutes, with points awarded for various standing (tachi-waza) or ground (newaza) techniques. A perfect throw or submission scores an ippon, ending the contest immediately. If tied, competition continues into golden score, an overtime period where the first person to score a point or force a penalty wins.