So far, Franz has led 1,322 judo classes for 652 clubs in a total of 16 countries. This represents interaction with over 23,000 people.
In 2025 Project 1000 took on a new dimension as Franz incorporated ‘Judo & Peace in Motion’ in the mission. "My goal is to cycle through 30 European countries visiting judo clubs along the way. This tour has two major sections. The first is the South-East tour and the second leg will be the North-West tour, which will start on 21st August."
Franz returned from the first part last Thursday. "I was on the road for 40 days, cycling 4,400 kilometres and climbing almost 35,000 metres. I celebrated my message and on the mat at the following clubs:
- Slovenia: Sankaku Celje with Marjan Fabjan
- Montenegro: Podgorica Kipa Judo - Marija Kipa
- Kosovo: Peja National Team with Toni Kuka
- Greece: E-Judo Thessaloniki - Konstantin Atanasov-Skoutas
- North Macedonia: Mioki Judo Skopje - Igor Paskoski
- Bulgaria: Judo Topalov Sofia - Kosta Topalov
- Romania: Steaua Bucharest - Alina Dumitru
- Hungary: Honved Budapest - Peter Toncs
While the world is in turmoil, threatened by conflict and climate change, Franz Kofler's initiative serves as a model for all generations of athletes and judoka. Beyond the values he conveys, he is deeply committed to intercultural exchange and proves that with goodwill, it is possible to bring people together regardless of their differences. Franz is one of the judoka-travellers who, thanks to their judogi, are able to cross both physical and mental borders. We wish him good luck for the next stages of his journey.
