At the beginning of March 2023, we announced the upcoming implementation of the Judo in Schools programme in Lebanon, in partnership with the International Judo Federation. On the occasion of the Tashkent Grand Slam, we met François Saade, the General Manager of the federation, who explained to us how much this initiative was going to change the future of Lebanese judo in the years to come.
Mariste Champville Dik el Mehdi

François Saade explained, "Lebanon is suffering from an economic crisis where the population is facing many difficulties. In this context, sport activities are not a priority anymore and parents can not afford to pay for sport lessons for their children. This is why our federation decided to launch a new programme. With Judo in Schools we want to offer free-of-charge judo sessions."

In recent days, the dream has therefore materialised, since the first two schools, Mariste Champville Dik el Mehdi and College des Apotres-Jounieh, have officially signed the co-operation agreement with the federation.

College des Apotres-Jounieh

"Our first target is to reach 100 students in each school. Judo will take place during school time or after school, with two lessons per week for the entire school year. This will help those children to develop physical skills and get exercise, make friends, have fun, learn team work and how to play fairly and improve self-esteem. As a sports organisation, it will also help us to detect future talent. We are confident that we will find our future champions within that generation of children, discovering judo at school,” said Saade.

Congratulations for the first two schools and for the Lebanese Judo Federation, taking this stronger way in education for the benefit of the youth of Lebanon.

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