The Judo competition at the 1980 Summer Olympics was the first time that the medal count was not dominated by Japan, since the country joined the boycott of the games because of the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Medals were awarded to male judoka in eight competitions, seven weight classes and the open competition — two more than in 1976. All events were held at the Palace of Sports of the Central Lenin Stadium at Luzhniki. The schedule started on July 27 and ended on August 2.
Gella Vandecaveye is a judoka from Belgium who competed at four Olympic Games.
Robert Van de Walle is a retired Belgian judoka. He was the first judoka to ever compete at five Olympics, from 1976 to 1992. Competing in the half-heavyweight category he won the gold medal in 1980 and a bronze in 1988 at the age of 34. Van de Walle won European titles in 1980, 1985 and 1986. Together with Ingrid Berghmans he was the face of Belgian judo in the late 1970s and 1980s. After retiring from competitions he ran a coaching company together with his wife. He was the head of the Belgian delegation at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In summer 2021, 14 years after obtaining the rank of black belt 8th dan; Van De Walle, currently a member of Judo Club Crossing Schaerbeek, accepted his promotion to 9th dan from the International Judo Federation.
Daima Mayelis Beltrán Guisado is a Cuban judoka. At the 2000 Summer Olympics she won the silver medal in the women's Heavyweight (+78 kg) category. She repeated that feat four years later in Athens, Greece.
José Mario Carrillo Zamudio is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager, and a commentator for television sports channel ESPN Deportes. He also assisted head coach Javier Aguirre with the Mexico national team.
Ilias Iliadis is a Georgian-Greek judoka. He was named the 2014 Greek Male Athlete of the Year.
Waldemar Legień is a Polish retired judoka. He won two Olympic gold medals in different weight classes, in 1988 and 1992. He is also the first person to win back-to-back two Olympic gold medals in Judo.
Urška Žolnir is a Slovenian politician and a retired judoka. She is a member of Judo Club Sankaku Celje.
Toshihiko Koga was a Japanese judoka, 9th degree black belt and Olympic champion who competed in the –71 kg and –78 kg divisions. Koga is regarded as having perhaps the greatest ippon seoi nage ever. He died of cancer on 24 March 2021 at the age of 53.
The Cuba women's national volleyball team was the first team to break the USSR's and Japan's domination in the world women's volleyball by winning the 1978 World Women's Volleyball Championship.
Israel has competed at the Olympic Games as a nation since 1952. Its National Olympic Committee was formed in 1933, during the British Mandate of Palestine. Israel has sent a team to each Summer Olympic Games since 1952, and to each Winter Olympic Games since 1994. Israel became a member of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in 1994. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Israel won seven Olympic medals, the most up until this point, breaking Israel's record for Olympic medals per Olympics.
Djibouti first participated at the Olympic Games in 1984, and have competed in every Summer Olympic Games, apart from the 2004 edition, since then. They have never competed in the Winter Olympic Games.
Vladimir Mikhaylovich Nevzorov is a Russian judoka who competed for the Soviet Union at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Héctor Rodríguez Torres is a Cuban judoka and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal by defeating South Korea's Chang Eun-kyung in the final.
Paula Belén Pareto is an Argentine retired judoka and physician. She was the flag bearer for her country at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She was the first Argentinian woman to become Olympic Champion.
The judo competition at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games was being held in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
Mönkhbatyn Urantsetseg is a Mongolian sambist and retired judoka who competed in the 48 kg category, and World Champion in both sports. In 2021, she won one of the bronze medals in the women's 48 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Moira de Villiers, also known by her married name of Koster, is a South African-born New Zealand judoka. She competed in the 70 kg event at the 2012 Summer Olympics losing in the first round. She competed in the women's 70 kg event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where she won the silver medal.
Abel Vázquez Cortijo is a judo athlete from Spain who represented Spain at the 2011 and 2013 IPC European Championships, and the 2008 and 2012 Summer Paralympics.
Yeseida Isaid Carrillo Torres is a Colombian race walker. She competed in the women's 20 kilometres walk event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
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