Judo, Wrestling and Taekwondo

Judo

Judo is a very fast style of hand-to-hand fighting. Judo began in Japan more than 100 years ago.  In judo, an athlete scores points by throwing the other person onto his (or her) back.  One point is called an ippon. In judo, the athlete is called a judoka.  A judoka wears a baggy suit called a judogi.  

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Taekwondo

The Sydney 2000 Games will be the first time taekwondo has been an Olympic sport. 

Taekwondo is a sport of hands-and-feet fightingThe athletes use only their hands and feet.  They kick very fast. They must wear special clothing to avoid getting hurt. Taekwondo athletes are put into different groups depending on their body size. This is so a very big person cannot fight a very small person. A form of taekwondo started 2000 years ago in Korea. It takes many years of training to do taekwondo.

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Wrestling

Wrestling is a very old sport. There was wrestling at the Olympic Games in ancient Greece more than 2000 years ago. Today, there are two types of wrestling at the Olympic Games. The first one is called Greco-Roman wrestling. A wrestler may use his arms and body to make the other wrestler fall over. The second kind is called freestyle wrestling.  In that one, wrestlers may use their legs as well. A wrestler wins points when he makes the other wrestler fall to the floor. If he can hold the other wrestler's shoulder to the floor, it is called a pin. Wrestlers must be strong and flexible. Only men wrestle at the Olympic Games.

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