Judo is an active Olympic sport with well-defined educational values such as courage, respect, modesty, friendship, honour, sincerity, self-control, and politeness. At its core lies the beautiful philosophy of jita-kyoei: the idea of individuals working together for the greater good, promoting co-operation, harmony and respect among practitioners.

Jita kyoei encapsulates the belief that through practising judo, individuals not only enhance their physical skills but also nurture a mindset of mutual support and consideration for others, both on and beyond the mat.

The International Judo Federation (IJF) has demonstrated its commitment to supporting peace through numerous impactful and relevant projects over the years, promoting inclusion and social development through judo as well as gender equality. These non-discriminative initiatives include:

• Judo For Peace in conflict and post-conflict areas and places with social disorders: Türkiye, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya.
• Judo For Refugees
• The full support of the IJF Refugee Team, which participates in World Judo Tour events and world championships, both as individuals and as a mixed team. The team participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and will also be present for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
• Judo For Children with more than 70 programmes around the world on the five continents, involving hundreds of thousands of children.

While we are looking forward to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with all their excitement and magic, let us take a moment to reflect on the meaningful power of sport as an enabler for communication, friendship, and most of all, world peace.