A belt must be worn which is wrapped around the jacket and tied with the traditional knot. The gi must be durable enough not to easily rip and the arms and legs must be no more than 5cm above the wrists and ankles respectively when the limbs are extended. Judokas must each wear a gi (traditional uniform originating from the kimono and other Japanese garments). Judo is competed on a mat – or tatami – measuring 14m x 14m, with a smaller 10m x 10m contest area marked within. To win a bout a player must score more points than their opponent, with points being awarded for throws or holds, and penalties being given for various infringements. While there is a deep tradition of Eastern philosophy underpinning the martial art, as a competitive sport the aim is simply to beat your opponent, albeit with honour and grace. Two years later judo made an appearance as an exhibition sport at the Olympics in Los Angeles, but it was not until Tokyo hosted the Games in 1964 when judo became an official Olympic sport for men, and Barcelona in 1992 for women. As a competitive sport it took a while to make waves until the All-Japan Judo Championships were inaugurated in 1930. Since then judo – which translates as “gentle way” – has spread from its Japanese origins to become of the most popular martial arts around the globe, with even Vladimir Putin being a keen practitioner. He began to teach the new martial art in 1882 using a 12 foot by 18 foot mat in a hall, and had a total of nine students in his first year. Adapting many of the traits and techniques of the much older martial art jujitsu (which came around years earlier in 1532), Kano studied under some of the greatest practitioners of the day before developing his own school and exercises that he named judo. Judo is a relatively modern martial art that was developed in Japan by Professor Jigoro Kano, who was born in Kikage near Kobe in 28th October 1860.
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