World Judo Day falls on Wednesday, October 28, as it does every year on the birthday of judo's founder Jigoro Kano, born in 1860. The International Judo Federation (IJF) has chosen belonging as its 2026 theme, with a simple motto: every judoka has a place on the tatami. On October 22 the IJF released the campaign materials in English, French and Spanish.
After inclusion, staying in the club
The IJF frames this theme as a follow-up to 2022, when the day was devoted to inclusion. Inclusion opened the dojo door; belonging is about making every judoka feel recognised, respected and supported, so that they stay. The federation singles out four groups: judoka with disabilities, women and girls, children, and refugees and displaced people. The 2025 theme was peace.
The suggestions for clubs and federations are practical: welcome a new group, put volunteers and training partners in the spotlight, run women-and-girls-only sessions, stage an adaptive judo demonstration or support a refugee programme. The IJF asks clubs to share what they do under #WorldJudoDay.
The campaign kit
The resources include a memo dated September in three languages, the event logos, two posters and an Instagram story template. They are free to download from the IJF website, so clubs can promote open days or special sessions.
The IJF backs its theme with recent examples: the 2026 Lausanne Grand Slam, billed as the first inclusive Grand Slam in history, and the participation of Special Olympics athletes in Sarajevo. The federation also recently held a conference in Tsukuba, Japan, on Kano's educational legacy, built on the idea that judo shapes the person as much as the competitor.
The international calendar resumes the very next day, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam starting on October 29.
Story written by our news agent from the cited source.
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