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The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every two years by the International Judo Federation, and qualified judoka compete in their respective categories as representatives of their home countries. Team competitions have also been held since 1994. The men's championships began in 1956, though the format and periodicity of the championships have changed overtime. The 26th edition of the championships will take place in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2009.
[edit] History
The first World Judo Champion, Shokichi Natsui (1956)
The first edition of the world championships took place in Tokyo, Japan in 1956. There were no weight classes at the time and Japanese judoka Shokichi Natsui became the first world champion in history, defeating fellow countryman Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu in the final. The second world championship was also held in Tokyo two years later, with the Japanese winning the top two spots in the competition for the second time. In 1961, the championship was held outside of Japan for the first time, and Dutch judoka Anton Geesink defeated the prior world champion, Koji Sone, in Paris, France, to become the first non-Japanese world champion.
The 1965 World Judo Championships were held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, and weight classes were implemented for the first time with the addition of the -68 kg, -80 kg, and +80 kg categories. Judo had become an Olympic sport at the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, and a permanent sport after a brief absence at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Despite this progressive enlargement, it took until 1980 for women to participate in the world championships. The first women's world championships were held in New York in 1980, and were held in alternating years as the men's championships until the 1987 World Judo Championships in Essen, where the two competitions were merged into one world championship. The mixed championships have been held biannually since 1987. In 2005, the world championships made its debut on the African continent in Cairo, Egypt. In the International Judo Federation meeting held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil in 2007 (during the 2007 World Judo Championships), it was decided that France would host the world championships for the fifth time in 2011.
[edit] Weight classes
There are currently 16 tournaments in the world championships, with 8 weight classes for each gender.
Men
| 1956-1963 |
1965 |
1967-1975 |
1979-1997 |
1999-2009 |
Open category
(no weight limits) |
Open category
(no weight limits) |
Heavyweight
+80 kg |
Heavyweight
+93 kg |
Heavyweight
+95 kg |
Heavyweight
+100 kg |
Half heavyweight
-93 kg |
Half heavyweight
-95 kg |
Half heavyweight
-100 kg |
Middleweight
-80 kg |
Middleweight
-80 kg |
Middleweight
-86 kg |
Middleweight
-90 kg |
Half middleweight
-70 kg |
Half middleweight
-78 kg |
Half middleweight
-81 kg |
Lightweight
-68 kg |
Lightweight
-63 kg |
Lightweight
-71 kg |
Lightweight
-73 kg |
Half lightweight
-65 kg |
Half lightweight
-66 kg |
Extra lightweight
-60 kg |
|
Women
| 1980-1997 |
1999-2009 |
Open category
(no weight limits) |
Heavyweight
+72 kg |
Heavyweight
+78 kg |
Half heavyweight
-72 kg |
Half heavyweight
-78 kg |
Middleweight
-66 kg |
Middleweight
-70 kg |
Half middleweight
-61 kg |
Half middleweight
-63 kg |
Lightweight
-56 kg |
Lightweight
-57 kg |
Half lightweight
-52 kg |
Extra lightweight
-48 kg |
|
[edit] Competitions
The world championships have been held in every continent except Australia and Antarctica.
[edit] Men's competitions
| Year |
Edition |
City and host country |
Medal leader |
| 1956 |
1st World Judo Championships |
 Tokyo, Japan |
Japan |
| 1958 |
2nd World Judo Championships |
Tokyo, Japan |
Japan |
| 1961 |
3rd World Judo Championships |
 Paris, France |
 Netherlands |
| 1965 |
4th World Judo Championships |
 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Japan |
| 1967 |
5th World Judo Championships |
 Salt Lake City, United States |
Japan |
| 1969 |
6th World Judo Championships |
 Mexico City, Mexico |
Japan |
| 1971 |
7th World Judo Championships |
 Ludwigshafen, West Germany |
Japan |
| 1973 |
8th World Judo Championships |
 Lausanne, Switzerland |
Japan |
| 1975 |
9th World Judo Championships |
 Vienna, Austria |
Japan |
| 1977 |
Cancelled |
| 1979 |
11th World Judo Championships |
Paris, France |
Japan |
| 1981 |
12th World Judo Championships |
Maastricht, Netherlands |
Japan |
| 1983 |
13th World Judo Championships |
 Moscow, Soviet Union |
Japan |
| 1985 |
14th World Judo Championships |
 Seoul, South Korea |
Japan |
[edit] Women's competitions
[edit] Mixed competitions
| Year |
Edition |
City and host country |
Medal leader |
| 1987 |
15th World Judo Championships |
Essen, Germany |
Japan |
| 1989 |
16th World Judo Championships |
 Belgrade, Yugoslavia |
Japan |
| 1991 |
17th World Judo Championships |
 Barcelona, Spain |
Japan |
| 1993 |
18th World Judo Championships |
 Hamilton, Canada |
Japan |
| 1995 |
19th World Judo Championships |
Chiba, Japan |
Japan |
| 1997 |
20th World Judo Championships |
Paris, France |
Japan |
| 1999 |
21st World Judo Championships |
 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
Japan |
| 2001 |
22nd World Judo Championships |
Munich, Germany |
Japan |
| 2003 |
23rd World Judo Championships |
Osaka, Japan |
Japan |
| 2005 |
24th World Judo Championships |
 Cairo, Egypt |
Japan |
| 2007 |
25th World Judo Championships |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Japan |
| 2009 |
26th World Judo Championships |
Rotterdam, Netherlands |
|
| 2011 |
27th World Judo Championships |
Paris, France |
|
[edit] Records
| Category |
Men |
Women |
| Most world titles |
4 titles:
|
- Ryoko Tamura : 7 titles (all at -48 kg)
.svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png) Ingrid Berghmans : 6 titles (4 in the Open category, 2 at +72 kg) Fenglian Gao : 4 titles (3 at +72 kg, 1 in the Open category)- Karen Briggs : 4 titles (all at -48 kg)
- Noriko Anno : 4 titles (1 at -72 kg, 3 at +78 kg)
|
| Most medals |
7 medals:
|
|
| Youngest world champion |
|
|
[edit] Team competition
The World Judo Championships team competition began in 1994, and was held once every four years until 2006. The competition will be held every year from 2007. Judoka who participate in the individual world championships often do not participate in the team competition.
[edit] Video footage
|
World Judo Championships |
|
| Men |
1956, 1958, 1961, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985
|
|
| Women |
|
|
| Both |
1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007
|
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[edit] External links
Russia
Cuba
Georgia
Italy
Mongolia
