Judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 81 kg

Men's 81 kg at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad
Venue	Ano Liossia Olympic Hall
Dates	17 August
Competitors	32 from 32 nations
Winning score	1110
Medalists
Ilias Iliadis  Greece Roman Gontyuk  Ukraine Flávio Canto  Brazil Dmitri Nossov  Russia

Judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics
	Men	Women
	60 kg	48 kg
	66 kg	52 kg
	73 kg	57 kg
	81 kg	63 kg
	90 kg	70 kg
	100 kg	78 kg
	+100 kg	+78 kg

Men's 81 kg competition in judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held on August 17 at the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall.

This event was the median of the men's judo weight classes, limiting competitors to a maximum of 81 kilograms of body mass. Like all other judo events, bouts lasted five minutes. If the bout was still tied at the end, it was extended for another five-minute, sudden-death period; if neither judoka scored during that period, the match is decided by the judges. The tournament bracket consisted of a single-elimination contest culminating in a gold medal match. There was also a repechage to determine the winners of the two bronze medals. Each judoka who had lost to a semifinalist competed in the repechage. The two judokas who lost in the semifinals faced the winner of the opposite half of the bracket's repechage in bronze medal bouts.

Future Russian politician Dmitry Nossov won a bronze medal.