The theme asks an important question of every club, dojo and federation: how do we make sure that people who come through the door feel they have a place there? Access matters but a lasting connection is built through everyday gestures: being welcomed by a training partner, encouraged by a coach or given the confidence to return to the mat.
Belonging speaks to the whole judo family. It includes athletes with disabilities, those practising adapted or deaf judo, women and girls seeking greater opportunities, and children taking their first steps in the sport. It also reaches refugees and displaced people, as well as anyone kept at a distance from sport by social, economic, cultural or geographical barriers. A dojo can offer more than training: it can provide friendship, stability and a shared sense of purpose.
International events this year have shown how that principle can take shape. At the Ecole Mont-Olivet Lausanne Grand Slam, World Judo Tour competition took place alongside adapted and deaf judo. In Sarajevo, Special Olympics athletes competed in shiai and demonstrated kata within the same international gathering as the World Veteran Championships and the World Championships Kata. More recently, an adapted judo demonstration took place during the Baku World Championships. These moments have brought different members of the judo family together in the same sporting environment, with the same opportunity to be seen and celebrated. They also show that high-level competition and wider participation can grow side by side. When athletes meet on the same stage, the entire judo community gains a broader understanding of what the sport can offer.
World Judo Day is an opportunity for every national federation, club and dojo to bring the theme to life. An open session, an adapted judo demonstration, a welcome for a new group or recognition of the volunteers and training partners who support others can all make a difference. The occasion may last a day; the sense of belonging it celebrates is built throughout the year.
On 28th October, the global judo community will celebrate a simple conviction: everyone should be able to find their place in judo and feel that it is theirs.