It's a Japanese word that can mean many things. For what we are dealing with, it means beginning, the beginning of a fight that goes far beyond what many people think.

READ our article about the relaunch of the judo season.

Hajime is the beginning of everything in a sport that is not a sport and, for us the profane, it is time to discover that behind this sport, inside and all around there is something else that breathes, moves, feeds, in a word, there is life.

Judo is a whole, more balanced than a philosophical current, more complete than an ideology. Judo is the fight between good and evil, it is the perfect balance between theory and reality. Everything begins and ends on the mat, this tatami that serves as a school of life to everyone who agrees to live according to a code.

Judo is the sum of all the qualities required to triumph in life, not from a material point of view, nor from a Western or bourgeois sensibility. No, this is a human journey where the person who complies with the rules grows morally at the same speed as his body. A healthy mind in a strong body.

Yes but now, for the body to be strong, it must be trained, hardened, accustomed to pain. This is in the image of life. Of course, the body is nothing, in any case nothing interesting, just a living matter without interest if it is not accompanied by a strong spirit.

Respect for oneself and the others. Have the courage to face the problems, to find the appropriate solutions. Showcase absolute courtesy without hypocrisy as a way of life. Keep your calmness in all circumstances. Make a vow of honesty and never compromise in the face of lies.

It is being humble and never believing yourself to be superior, it is showing the way by the example and never complaining but correcting and learning from your mistakes. It is a code of honor that is practiced at any age, which adapts to all. It is a state of mental rest in the midst of chaos, a weapon of mass destruction against absolute evil. It is s the lifeline against boredom and loneliness.

After comes the challenge, the fight against your equal. It is difficult, it is physical but also mental because all the senses are sharpened. It is spectacular and pretty, it is a poem of purity.

Judo is all of that and even more. The more we discover it, the more we become hooked. It is a creator of smiles, it is the definition of the respect of the difference, the integration and the quiet force, the individual strength in the service of a group.

It is the discipline that expresses the free will without disturbing. It is the supreme freedom, this stage where all are equal without amalgams, without grudges, without borders.This is Judo !

See also
Ulaanbaatar GS 2026
Ulaanbaatar Opens the Olympic Race

19. Jun. 2026 / The wait is over! After months of preparation and a ...

Ulaanbaatar GS 2026
-57 kg: Omori Strikes Back to Take the Gold

19. Jun. 2026 / Fresh from winning her recent European medal, Timna ...

Ulaanbaatar GS 2026
-66 kg: Takeoka’s Precision and Abdulaev’s Ne-waza Mastery Define the Day

19. Jun. 2026 / The -66 kg category delivered its share of explosive ...

Ulaanbaatar GS 2026
-52 kg: Uta Abe, Only Uta Abe

19. Jun. 2026 / There were seeds everywhere in the -52 kg category, ...

Ulaanbaatar GS 2026
-60 kg: Aghayev’s Tactical Mastery Stops Nagayama’s Charge

19. Jun. 2026 / There was tremendous depth in the -60 kg category, ...

Ulaanbaatar GS 2026
-48 kg: Koga’s Control Brings Gold After a Day of Upsets

19. Jun. 2026 / Shirine Boukli (FRA) arrived in Mongolia full of confidence ...

JudoPod
The Dual Persona of a Champion

19. Jun. 2026 / To her social media followers, Shirine Boukli is energetic, ...

Ulaanbaatar GS 2026
The Art of Qualification: Two Years to Reach the Olympic Games

19. Jun. 2026 / For several weeks now, the global judo community has ...

JudoTV
JudoTV Enters a New Era on the Road to LA28

18. Jun. 2026 / Over the past few years, JudoTV has become much more ...

Ulaanbaatar GS 2026
The Race to LA 2028 Is Underway

18. Jun. 2026 / The die is cast. The first battles of this new Olympic ...

Ulaanbaatar GS 2026
The Olympic Dream Begins in Ulaanbaatar

18. Jun. 2026 / It is the moment that athletes and judo fans around ...

News
Georgia Set to Host 2029 World Championships

16. Jun. 2026 / On 16th June 2026, a significant milestone for judo ...

Obituary
The Judo Family Mourns the Passing of Jose Manuel Cortes

14. Jun. 2026 / "His passion was judo. He lived through judo and for ...

INTERVIEW EXPRESS
Shishime Ai (JPN)

08. Jun. 2018 / The next reigning world champion to be invited to answer ...

News
5 Key Takeaways from judo’s first Tokyo 2020 qualifier

06. Jun. 2018 / Highlights from Hohhot Grand Prix 2018

VIDEO
Judo for the World in Iran

07. Jun. 2018 / In April 2018, the International Judo Federation and ...

Meeting
JUDO: A Beneficial Cause

07. Jun. 2018 / 'Society should believe in sport as a beneficial cause ...