Judo contests last five minutes, with scores awarded for different throws and holds. However, a contest ends immediately if a competitor is awarded 'ippon' -- the maximum score. If the scores are tied after five minutes, the contest enters a golden score period, when the first score of any sort wins. At the Paralympic Games, the main difference from other top-level Judo competition is that judoka (athletes), who all have visual impairments, are allowed to have contact with their opponent before each contest begins.
All of the Judo events at the London 2012 Paralympic Games will be played in a knockout format with double repechage, and will end with two finalists going head to head in the gold medal contest. Athletes who have previously been defeated by these two finalists will compete in repechage contests, with the winners of the repechage table finals fighting the losers from the opposite tables for the two bronze medals.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to develop sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.
For further information, please visit http://www.paralympic.org.
To watch live action and videos on demand of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and subscribe to ParalympicSport.TV, please go to www.youtube.com/ParalympicSportTV.
Also, you may follow the Paralympic Movement on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ParalympicGames or on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/paralympic.
