Judo in India

Judo is a sport which is widely played in India. The first written record about Judo in India in Kodokan is about demonstrations and coaching of Judo by Shinzo Tagaki arranged at Shantiniketan in 1929 by Rabindranath Tagore.[1] The Judo Federation of India was formed in 1965.

By 1970, the judo community was increased to a sizeable chunk in India and JFI became hard-pressed to hire more professional trainers for the sport of judo from within India. Many coaches were required from within the country as foreign trainers were unable to meet the training needs of a large and growing judo community. Mr. Takashi Ogata came to India on a welcome visit in 1976, and initiated a professional course in judo at NS NIS, Patiala. Another honorable Japanese judo guru Mr. Morio Suganami graced the judo community in India by his 1979 visit, and gave tips and laid some action plans for the promotion of judo in India. The contribution of Indian gentlemen such as Mr. Khaniwale, Dr. Pisolkar and Mr. N.T. Bangera to the sport of judo is exemplary and memorable.

Indian minister and president of JFI, Mr. Jagdish Tytler and ex-general secretary Mr. L.K. Daga also devised some action plans to boost the participation of Indian judo teams at the international events. At last, India got its much needed break in 1986 Seoul Asian Games, where Indians bagged four bronze medals for their country. It was a milestone for the team India and since then, India has been performing continuously at the international judo events.

Several Indian judokas have qualified for the Olympic Games. Mr. Sandeep Byala and Mr. Cawas Billimoria participated in 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Ms. Brojeshwori Devi qualified for the Athens Olympics 2000. : Mr. Akram Shah participated in the 2004 Sydney Olympics, on behalf of India. Ms. Kh. Tombi Devi & Ms. Diviya qualified for Beijing Olympics 2008.

Mr. Sandeep Byala, Mr. Cawas Kersap Billimoria, Mr. Akram Shah, Ms. Angom Anita Chanu, Mr. Shyam Singh Shekhawat Mr. Narender Singh, Ms. Poonam Chopra, Khumujam Tombi Devi received the prestigious Arjuna Award for their exemplary performances. In London Olympics 2017, India's only qualifier Garima Chaudhary lost to Japanese Judoka, Yoshie Ueno in the women's 63 kg category elimination round. The Japanese team dominated the London Olympics 2017 in judo and they won the gold, silver and bronze medals.

In the 2010 Judo World Cup in Tashkent, Thoudam Kalpana Devi of Manipur became the first Indian to win a World Cup top-three finish.[2]