Here is how blind judo is played at the Paralympic Games

Judo made its way into the Paralympics in the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, and is one of two martial art events at the Paralympic Games, along with Taekwondo.

It is specifically designed for para-athletes with vision impairments and the rules are identical to the regular Olympic equivalent of para judo.

Judokas rely heavily on their sense of touch to understand their opponents' moves and this involves attention to the opponents' breathing patterns, grip, and their movement in general.

Rules of para judo

Judokas must maintain a grip on each other’s uniform, known as judogi, throughout the match.

If they lose their grip, the referee will halt the bout. To begin the match, judokas must already have a firm hold on their opponent’s judogi.

The goal is to either throw the opponent to the ground, hold them down for a pin, or force a submission through a joint lock or choke.

In modern judo, there are two primary ways to score:

Ippon: Awarded for a throw that puts the opponent on their back with sufficient strength, speed, and control, or for achieving a submission (either by choke or joint lock), or pinning the opponent for 20 seconds.

An ippon results in an immediate victory.

Waza-ari: Given for throws that almost meet the criteria for ippon or for pinning the opponent for between 10 and 20 seconds.

Two waza-ari scores are equivalent to one ippon, leading to a win.

Matches are four minutes long, excluding breaks. If no ippon is achieved by the end of the match, the competitor with the highest score wins.

Judokas are classified by their level of vision impairment and compete in various weight categories.

Male judokas compete in weight classes from 60kg to over 100kg, while female judokas compete in weight classes from 48kg to over 70kg.

Eligibility criteria for para judo

There are two categories of visual impairment at para judo:

B1: Complete blindness

B2: Vision impairment

Each category has its weight class where the judokas compete.