A questionnaire about judo fatalities was sent to all International Judo Federation members. Twenty countries responded, and additional cases were found through personal communication and from the literature. A total of 19 fatalities was reported: nine in the United States, three in Japan, two in Great Britain, and one each in Canada, Italy, Norway, West Germany, and Yugoslavia. Fourteen countries reported no deaths: Australia, Barbados, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Russia. As with all sports, the value of judo to health and physical well being greatly outweighs any potential risk to life, Based on this survey and the number of judo participants throughout the world, the number of fatalities associated with judo is minimal. Source: Anatomy of a choke
© Copyright 1981 The Physician and Sportsmedicine. JTE Multimedia Company. All rights reserved.