Greco-Roman wrestling vs Judo
Greco-Roman wrestling and Judo side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Greco-Roman wrestling | Judo | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Ancient Greece | Japan |
| Created | — | 1882 |
| Founder | — | Kanō Jigorō |
| Type | amateur wrestling | combat sport, martial arts and Olympic sport |
| Competition at the Olympics | Yes – 24 Olympic events recorded | Yes – 64 Olympic events recorded |
| Notable practitioners here | 517 | 3052 |
| Top countries of practitioners | Russia, Soviet Union and Iran | Japan, Russia and United States |
| Equipment and weapons | — | judogi and tatami |
| Belt ranks | — | Yes |
| Weight classes | Yes | Yes |
| Energy use (MET) | — | 11.3 MET (Judo) |
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman (American English) (spelled Graeco- or Græco- in British English) or classic wrestling (European English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been part of every summer Olympic held since 1904. It is one of the two forms of wrestling contested at the Olympics, the other being freestyle wrestling.
From the Wikipedia article Greco-Roman wrestling (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Judo
Judo (Japanese: 柔道, Hepburn: Jūdō; lit. 'gentle way') is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), Paralympic sport (since 1988) and Commonwealth Games sport (since 1990). Judo is the most prominent form of Samurai throws and self-defense competed internationally. Judo was created in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎) as an eclectic martial art, distinguishing itself from its predecessors (primarily Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujutsu and Kitō-ryū jujutsu) due to an emphasis on "randori" (乱取り, lit. 'free sparring') instead of kata (形, kata; pre-arranged forms) alongside its removal of striking and weapon training elements. Judo rose to prominence for its dominance over established jujutsu schools in tournaments hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁武術大会, Keishicho Bujutsu Taikai), resulting in its adoption as the department's primary martial art. A judo practitioner is called a "judoka" (柔道家, jūdōka), and the judo uniform is called "judogi" (柔道着, jūdōgi; "judo attire").
From the Wikipedia article Judo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q389654, Q11420. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.