EJU Pushes Safe and Inclusive Judo From Principle to Practice

The European Judo Union put safe sport and human rights at the center of the conversation on 3 July 2026. Through its virtual conference, “From Values to Action - Shaping the Future of Safe, Strong & Inclusive Judo”, the EJU brought together the judo community for a discussion that reached far beyond one region.

The online event ran from 17:00 to 20:30 and marked an important moment for cooperation in judo. According to the source, 126 participants registered and 72 attended live, representing 39 countries across Europe and other parts of the world, including China, India, Kenya, South America, the United States, and Australia.

That international spread mattered. The assembly was not framed as a simple meeting, but as a step toward stronger shared standards around safeguarding, inclusion, and human rights in judo. Even in a sport with deeply rooted values, the message was clear: values only matter when they are actively applied.

A pre-event baseline offered an encouraging picture of where many clubs and federations currently stand. Most of the participating organisations already have a safeguarding policy in place, stay involved in adapted judo, and include female representation in coaching and leadership roles.

At the same time, the conference also showed that the work is far from finished. Participants expressed a clear wish to build more knowledge and strengthen their institutional commitment to human rights. That detail may be one of the most important takeaways from the event. It suggests that across European judo, there is not only awareness of these issues, but also an appetite to improve.

The strongest signal was not satisfaction, but the willingness to keep learning.

One practical feature stood out as a major advantage during the assembly: automatically translated closed captions. In a meeting that crossed languages and continents, this technology helped remove a barrier that often limits open exchange. The source described it as a game changer, making it possible for a highly diverse audience to follow and engage more fully.

That kind of accessibility fits the wider purpose of the conference. If judo wants to become safer, stronger, and more inclusive, communication has to be open to everyone in the room, not only those fluent in one language. In that sense, the platform itself reflected the values the event was trying to promote.

The opening message came from EJU Secretary General Dr Martin Poiger. He welcomed the international audience and pointed to a challenge that feels especially relevant in modern sport. Judo, he said in essence, already carries a moral framework, but the sport must move beyond passive awareness and into active implementation both on and off the tatami.

That opening set the tone for the wider assembly. This was not only about celebrating what judo stands for. It was about asking how those ideals are protected in daily practice, inside clubs, federations, and leadership structures.

For European judo, the event highlighted something powerful: the community is not standing still. With broad participation, existing safeguarding structures, and a visible readiness to do more, the 2026 EJU Human Rights Assembly presented a serious effort to turn principle into action.

Safe sport in judo depends on what happens off the mat as much as on it.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union