History
Judo became an Olympic sport for men in 1964 and women's judo was a demonstration sport in 1988, preparatory to its being added to the Olympic program in 1992.
In Olympic judo competition, there are two pools, each with its own single-elimination tournament. The two pool winners compete for the gold medal, with the loser winning the silver medal.
In each pool, the competitors who lost to pool winner enter a repechage round for another single-elimination tournament. The winners of the repechage pools are awarded bronze medals.
Weight limits have changed through the years. The limits shown are those used at the 2000 Olympics.