Para-judo

Paralympic judo is an adaptation of the Japanese martial art of judo for visually impaired competitors. The rules of the sport are only slightly different from regular judo competitions. It has been part of the Summer Paralympics program since 1988 for men and 2004 for women. Paralympic judo competition is governed by the International Judo Federation (IJF) rules with some modifications specified by the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA). The major rule difference is that contests always start with the 2 competitors in a loose grip on each other's Judo suits (grip called "Kumikata") and if contact is broken, "matte"(Wait), or stop, is called and the competitors return to center and regrip.