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Judo

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Judo is one of two martial arts which are Olympic sports, the other being Taekwondo.

Unlike boxing, the aim of judo is not to knock the opponent out, but to force them to submit by saying "maitta", meaning "I give up".

Of course, not every contest ends in submission, but judoka, as judo's participants are dubbed, earn points for moves they perform and errors they force their opponents into.

Judoka rely on using their opponents' aggression against them. It is a sport, according to its governing body the International Judo Federation (IJF), in which technique triumphs over strength.

Momentum is the key. Athletes use the momentum of their opponents to throw them.

Other techniques are designed to disturb the posture of opponents so they can be more easily thrown or pinned to the mat.

A contest can be won instantly by scoring "ippon". This can be done by throwing an opponent onto his or her back with force and speed.

Other attacking moves involve pinning an opponent down on one or both shoulders for 30 seconds; placing the opponent in a stranglehold or applying an elbow lock.

Judo was invented by Japanese physical education teacher Dr Jigoro Kanu as a less aggressive form of jujitsu.

The discipline quickly grew in popularity across Japan, and was introduced to the school curriculum.

From there it spread internationally, that spread accelerating after World War II.

In 1951 the IJF was formed. In those days, judo competitions were open affairs, with no weight divisions.

But in 1961 that changed when giant Dutchman Anton Geesink beat three Japanese on his way to the world championship.

Judo became an Olympic sport in 1964 in Tokyo. As host nation, Japan was allowed to nominate a new sport, and judo was its choice.

Although it was dropped for Mexico in 1968, judo returned to the Olympic fold in 1972 and has been an ever-present since. Women's judo was added to the program in 1992 at Barcelona.

Although the Japanese have been the most successful judo nation, others have also performed well at Olympic level.

The Soviet Union was the next best performed nation up until Atlanta in 1996, but in recent Olympics countries as diverse as Cuba, Greece, China the Netherlands and South Korea have all won judo gold.

But the Japanese still dominate - they won eight of the 14 gold medals awarded in the sport in Athens.