The number of male and female judoka at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be equal for the first time since the sport was introduced at the Summer Games in 1964, the International Judo Federation said Monday.
According to the Olympic qualification process, 193 men and women each will compete in 15 events, including a newly added mixed team event, at the 2020 Games, which are scheduled for July 24 to Aug. 9. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, 237 male and 153 female judoka participated.
"The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games represent a special moment for our sport ... as judo returns to its homeland," IJF president Marius Vizer said on the federation's website.
For each of the seven weight categories for both genders, the 18-highest ranked judoka in the world rankings released on May 25, 2020, will qualify directly. The remaining slots will be given to athletes for continental representation, while Japan earns one spot in each weight division.
Following its introduction in 1964, judo did not feature in the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City but has been included in every Olympics since the 1972 Munich Games. Women's events were added in 1992 in Barcelona.