JUDO
Judo was first introduced to the Summer Olympic programme in 1964 for men.
Women’s competition was only included as a medal event at the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
The sport is derived from Jujitsu, the hand-to-hand combat technique of ancient samurai warriors. It involves throwing opponents to the floor and holding them in submission.
The competition takes place in a dojo (a Japanese word which translates to “place of the way”).
Athletes (judoka) compete in seven weight categories with 2 bronze medals awarded in each category. Each country can qualify a maximum of one athlete per category.
John Ryan competed for Ireland at the 1964 Games in Tokyo.
National Federation: Irish Judo Association
International Federation: International Judo Federation
JUDO NEWS
LA28 Qualification Dates in 2026
ROAD TO LA ALREADY UNDERWAY! 2026 marks the beginning of the qualification journey for many sports as they look ahead to the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028. Qualifying for the Games, which take place from 14–30 July 2028, is challenging across all disciplines. Most sports require either direct qualification through specific events, qualification via [...]
Istanbul 2027 European Games
A Key Step on the Road to LA28 The 4th European Games will take place in Istanbul, Turkey from 16 to 27 June 2027, one year out from the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. For Team Ireland, Istanbul represents a significant moment in the LA28 cycle: a major competitive platform, a qualification opportunity across multiple [...]
Final Results from EYOF Banska Bystrica
FINAL RESULTS Athletics (11 top tens) BRONZE Boy’s 1500m – Sean Cronin Final 3rd with 4:02.81 4th Girl’s 800m Heats – Nicole Dinan Heats 2:12.27 (PB), Finals – 4th with 2:12.92 4th Girl’s 3000m Final – Clodagh Gill Final 9:47.25 (PB) 4th Boy’s 3000m Final – Cormac Dixon Finals 8:28.62 5th Boy’s 200m – Toby […]
DAY THREE ACTION AT EYOF
Team Ireland Athletes Continue to Shine in Slovakia Following on from Sean Cronin’s sensational bronze medal run yesterday, a quieter day of action for Team Ireland saw Irish competition in athletics, badminton, gymnastics, judo and tennis at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Banska Bystrica which runs from the 25 – 30 July. Athletics […]
SELECTED ATHLETES
Lisa Kearney
BIOGRAPHY Lisa Kearney represented Ireland in the women's under-48 kilogram judo event at the 2012 London Olympic Games, becoming the first Irish woman to compete in Olympic judo. Born and raised in Belfast, Kearney began judo at primary school to join her friends at the Yamakwai Judo Club, where she trained throughout her career under [...]
Patrick Murphy
BIOGRAPHY Patrick (Paddy) Murphy competed at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games in judo in the men’s half-heavyweight (≤93 kilograms) division. He finished 19th at the 1972 Games. OTHER JUDO OLYMPIANS{{ vc_btn: title=SEE+ALL+ATHLETES&style=outline-custom&outline_custom_color=%2300ed00&outline_custom_hover_background=%23ffffff&outline_custom_hover_text=%23001136&shape=square&css=.vc_custom_1677079573058%7Bmargin-top%3A+10px+%21important%3Bmargin-left%3A+0px+%21important%3B%7D&link=url%3A%252Fathletes-list%252F&el_class=see-all-athletes }} Anto ClarkeBen FletcherLiam CarrollMatthew FolanMegan FletcherTerry Watt
Liam Carroll
BIOGRAPHY Liam Carroll represented Ireland in the men's half-middleweight (-70kg) judo event at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games - Ireland's first Olympic judo competitor. He had previously competed at the World Championships in Ludwigshafen in 1971 and went on to compete at the European Championships in London in 1974. Carroll ran Dublin Judo Club on [...]
Anto Clarke
BIOGRAPHY Anto Clarke competed at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games in judo in the men’s lightweight division. Clarke developed his judo career in Ireland through the club system during the early years of the sport’s growth and progressed to international competition. He finished 13th at the 1972 Games. OTHER JUDO OLYMPIANS{{ vc_btn: title=SEE+ALL+ATHLETES&style=outline-custom&outline_custom_color=%2300ed00&outline_custom_hover_background=%23ffffff&outline_custom_hover_text=%23001136&shape=square&css=.vc_custom_1677079573058%7Bmargin-top%3A+10px+%21important%3Bmargin-left%3A+0px+%21important%3B%7D&link=url%3A%252Fathletes-list%252F&el_class=see-all-athletes }} Ben [...]
Terry Watt
BIOGRAPHY Terry Watt represented Ireland in Judo at the Olympic Games in 1972, finishing 19th in the middleweight category. He was part of the early generation of Irish judoka competing on the international stage. Watt later remained active in the sport over a long period, competing at veteran level and winning European and World titles. [...]
Matthew Folan
BIOGRAPHY Matthew Folan represented Ireland at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games in the heavyweight and open categories. His best international result came at the 1973 World Judo Championships in Lausanne, where he finished fifth while contesting the bronze medal match. Folan began practising judo in Dublin in 1959 and later trained at the Kodokan in [...]
Megan Fletcher
BIOGRAPHY Megan Fletcher represented Ireland in the women's under-70kg judo event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, becoming only the second woman to represent Ireland in Olympic judo after Lisa Kearney at London 2012. She finished fifth overall, losing a dramatic repechage bout to Austria's Michaela Polleres when Polleres landed a waza-ari score with just [...]
Ben Fletcher
BIOGRAPHY Benjamin Fletcher represented Ireland in the men's -100kg judo event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where he made the round of 32. He had previously represented Great Britain at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, finishing 17th. Fletcher qualifies for Ireland through his mother Alma, who is from Bruff, Co. Limerick, and he switched [...]