Judo was the brainchild of a Japanese man named Jigoro Kano in 1882. Dismayed by the risk of injury through various moves of jujutsu, Kano took some techniques from it, modified others and added some of his own creation to develop judo. Judo is a martial art which emphasizes balance and leverage through a variety of techniques to throw one's opponent. Kano emphasized "randori" or "free practice ...
After much lobbying by Japan, the sport's country of origin, judo was slated for inclusion as an Olympic event at the 1940 Olympic Games. Unfortunately, World War II intervened, forcing the cancellation of all Olympic Games until 1948. Japan's Olympic judo dream was not achieved for many more years.
The 2012 Summer Olympics judo competition will be held in London from July 28-August 3. The venue for the entirety of the competiton will be the ExCeL London Center. It is a facility designed to hold major conferences and exhibitions, so seating capacity depends on the sport, with various configurations allowing for 6,000-10,000 spectators.
