Judo in Canada Sasaki's students went on to establish their own dojos across Canada. The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association was incorporated in 1956 and recognized by the International Judo Federation in 1958. Now known as Judo Canada, it is the national governing body and a federation of associations in each of the ten provinces and three territories. Today, an estimated 30,000 Canadians participate in Judo programs in approximately 400 clubs across Canada. Judo uses a hierarchical ranking system divided into "kyū" and "dan" grades that its founder, Jigoro Kano, adapted from the ranking system for the traditional board game Go. "Kyū" grades
Judo in the United States AAU sport, and there have been national competitions and tournaments ever since. The United States formed an Olympic team and competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics, which it continues to do to this day. Judo is now practiced by and estimated 100,000 American men, women, and children (25,000 registered in either the USJA, USJF, and USA Judo). America's first major contact exposure to judo came through President Ulysses S. Grant in 1879. He was in Japan for a state visit and observed a judo demonstration. In 1889, Kanō Jigorō gave a lecture on the philosophy of judo to several Americans;