Question: What is the largest judo competition?

World Judo Championships


The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year (except the years when the Olympics take place) by the International Judo Federation, and qualified judoka compete in their respective categories as representatives of their home countries. Team competitions have also been held since 1994. The men's championships began in 1956, though the format and periodicity of the championships have changed over time. The last edition of the championships took place in Budapest, Hungary in 2017.
History

The first edition of the world championships took place in Tokyo, Japan in 1956. There were no weight classes at the time and Japanese judoka Shokichi Natsui became the first world champion in history, defeating fellow countryman Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu in the final. The second world championship was also held in Tokyo two years later, with the Japanese winning the top two spots in the competition for the second time. In 1961, the championship was held outside Japan for the first time, and Dutch judoka Anton Geesink defeated the prior world champion, Koji Sone, in Paris, France, to become the first non-Japanese world champion.
The 1965 World Judo Championships were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and weight classes were implemented for the first time with the addition of the -68kg, -80kg, and +80kg categories. Judo had become an Olympic sport at the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, and a permanent sport after a brief absence at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Despite this progressive enlargement, it took until 1980 for women to participate in the world championships. The first women's world championships were held in New York City in 1980, and were held in alternating years as the men's championships until the 1987 World Judo Championships in Essen, where the two competitions were merged into one world championship. The mixed championships have been held biannually since 1987. In 2005, the world championships made its debut on the African continent in Cairo, Egypt. In the International Judo Federation meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2007 (during the 2007 World Judo Championships), it was decided that France would host the world championships for the fifth time in 2011.
Weight classes
There are currently 16 tournaments in the world championships, with 8 weight classes for each gender.

Competitions
The world championships have been held in every continent except Oceania and Antarctica.
Men's competitions

Women's competitions

Mixed competitions

Openweight competitions

Men's medal count - individual events (1956-2018)

Women's medal count - individual events (1980-2018)

Total medal count - individual events (1956-2018)

Judo Team World Championships
The World Judo Championships team competition began in 1994. women's competition began in 1997,[1] and after 1998 it was held once every four years until 2006. The competition will be held every year from 2007. Judoka who participate in the individual world championships often do not participate in the team competition.





Men

Women

Mixed

Total

All-time medal count
Updated after the 2018 World Judo Championships.
This table include all medals in the individual and team competitions won at the World Judo Championships as well as at the separate Judo Team World Championships and separate World Judo Open Championships.

a Unlike in 2013, Majlinda Kelmendi did not compete at the 2014 World Judo Championships under the Kosovo flag but under the International Judo Federation flag, as Russia does not recognise Kosovo's independence. Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 98 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 14 later withdrew their recognition.
b At the 2018 World Championships, judokas from North Korea and South Korea completed for unified Korean team and won bronze medals in the Mixed team competition.
Multiple gold medalists
Boldface denotes active judokas and highest medal count among all judokas (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
Men
Individual events

All events

# including one medal of the Team World Championships won as reserve

* including one medal of the Team World Championships  won for participation in the qualifying only

** including two medals of the Team World Championships won for participation in the qualifying only

*** including three medals of the Team World Championships won for participation in the qualifying only
Women
Individual events

All events

# including one medal of the Team World Championships won as reserve

* including one medal of the Team World Championships won for participation in the qualifying only

*# including one medal of the Team World Championships won for participation in the qualifying only and one won as reserve

**# including two medals of the Team World Championships won for participation in the qualifying only and one won as reserve
Records

Video footage

 in Salvador
 in Paris
 in Tokyo
 in Rotterdam
 in Rio de Janeiro
 in Cairo
 in Osaka
 in Munich
 in Birmingham
 in Paris
 in Chiba
 in Hamilton
 in Barcelona
 in Belgrade
 in Essen
 in Seoul
 in Moscow
 in Maastricht
 in New York
 in Paris
 in Paris
 in Tokyo