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.
Djibouti took part in the 1992 Summer Olympics, which were held in Barcelona, Spain from 25 July to 9 August. The country's participation marked its fourth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, United States. The delegation from Djibouti included eight athletes, five in athletics, two in judo and one in sailing. Houssein Djama, Moussa Souleiman, Omar Daher Gadid, Ahmed Salah, and Talal Omar Abdillahi represented the nation in athletics, while Youssef Omar Isahak, Alaoui Mohamed Taher represented the nation in judo. Robleh Ali Adou represented Djibouti in sailing.
Shay-Oren Smadja is an Israeli judo coach and former competitive judoka. Smadja won an Olympic bronze medal in 1992 Summer Olympics, making him the first Israeli male to win an Olympic medal, and the second Israeli overall after Yael Arad who won silver in judo the day before.
Slavko Goluža is a retired Croatian handball player and most recently coach of RK Zagreb.
Urška Žolnir is a Slovenian politician and a retired judoka. She's a member of Judo Club Sankaku Celje.
Barna Bor is a retired Hungarian judoka. He competed at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he lost in the last 32 to Islam El Shehaby. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he beat Luuk Verbij in the first round, then El Mehdi Malki in the second round, before losing to Andreas Tölzer in the quarterfinal. In the repechage, he lost to Rafael Silva in the first round.
El Salvador first competed in the Olympic Games at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. It has participated in every Games of the Olympiad since that time, excluding those held in 1976 and 1980, when the nation joined the American-led boycott in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. They have never competed in the Olympic Winter Games. El Salvador has not earned a medal at any Olympic Games.
Djibouti has participated in nine Summer Olympic Games as of the completion of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. They have never competed in the Winter Olympic Games. Djibouti debuted at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States of America with three athletes, but did not take home a medal. The highest number of Djiboutian athletes participating in a summer Games is eight in the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain. Only one Djiboutian athlete has ever won a medal at the Olympics, marathon runner Hussein Ahmed Salah, who won a bronze medal in the 1988 marathon.
Vladimir Mikhaylovich Nevzorov is a Russian judoka who competed for the Soviet Union at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Angelo Parisi is a French judoka and olympic champion. He won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. At his Olympic debut in 1972 he represented Great Britain. Parisi holds the 8th dan degree.
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.
Chad competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This marked the nation's eleventh appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in the 1964 Summer Olympics. The Chadian delegation included track and field athlete Hinikissia Ndikert and judoka Carine Ngarlemdana. Ngarlemdana was the flag bearer for the opening ceremony and Ndikert was the flag bearer for the closing ceremony. Neither of Chad's athletes progressed beyond the first round of their events. Chad was one of only two countries to have a female-only team at the 2012 games.
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.
Marcus Victor Jan Nyman is a Swedish judoka. He competes in the men's −90 kg judo event. In the 2012 Summer Olympics he was eliminated after losing his first match. In the 2016 Summer Olympics he won three of five matches and finished fifth. Nyman won the gold medal at the 2010 European Judo Championships and the bronze medal at the 2011 and 2016 Championships.
José Antonio Cecchini is a retired Spanish Wrestler who represented his country in Sambo, Judo and Greco-Roman Wrestling. In 1979 and 1981 he won gold medal at World Sambo Championships. He participated at the 1980 Summer Olympics in judo and was eliminated in second round by Slavko Obadov from Yugoslavia.
Barbara Matić is a Croatian judoka. She is a two-time world champion in the women's 70 kg event as well as a two-time junior world champion in the women's 70 kg division. Matić won a bronze medal at the 2014 European Judo Championships. Her younger sister Brigita Matić has also been a successful judoka on junior level.
Krisztián Tóth is a Hungarian judoka. He won one of the bronze medals in the men's 90 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
William Albert Vincent is a New Zealand judoka. He competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Olympics. In 1986, he won the bronze medal in the 78kg weight category at the judo demonstration sport event as part of the 1986 Commonwealth Games.
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