Aikido is a Japanese martial art which was developed by Morihei Ueshiba at the beginning of the 20^th century.

On a purely physical level, aikido is an art involving throws and joint locks that are derived from ju-jitsu, and other throws and techniques derived from kenjutsu. It focuses not on punching or kicking opponents, but rather on using their own energy to gain control of them. It is not a static art, aikido places great emphasis on motion and the dynamics of movement.

'Whenever I move, that’s Aikido!'

O Sensei Morihei Ueshiba

Out of reverence to its founding father, the ‘O Sensei’ or ‘Great Teacher’, aikido explicitly limits its participation in The World Games to the Invitational Sports Program.

Aikido, even in schools with competitions, is of a cooperative rather than antagonistic nature, with both athletes, the ‘thrower’ and the ‘throwee’, working as partners, each trying to optimize the experience of the other. This working partnership is necessary to minimize the chance of injury from practicing aikido techniques, and to develop both partners' ability to be relaxed when being thrown in a martial situation.

  Aikido at The World Games 2005