As the IBSA Judo World Cup Tbilisi 2025 is in full swing at the Olympic Sports Palace, there are so many examples of the application of this moral code. One thing is immediately evident when you look at the judoka competing here in Georgia, they are all high-level competitors who dedicate their lives to the sport. They are here to win, like any athlete.
Yet it is striking to note that victory is not everything. It's part of something bigger which can be summed up in the judo motto ‘mutual aid and prosperity.’ It's important to emphasise that this is also the case in the World Judo Tour competitions, with examples of mutual aid having been particularly numerous during the last three days of the Tbilisi Grand Slam.
What can be highlighted, however, is the absolute necessity for the Para-judoka to support each other and this is evident in every gesture they make. They all know each other; most of them have participated in the last Paralympic Games, and they are used to crossing paths on the international Para-judo circuit. After a contest, when the winner is determined, one sometimes gets the feeling that the loser is as happy as the winner. Overcoming the challenge of not having sight transcends barriers and adds a dose of humanity to the sport.
Yes, everyone is there to win, but above all everyone is there to participate by giving their best, to paraphrase the philosophy of the founder of the Olympic movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a philosophy that the IJF, IBSA and the whole sport movement is attached to.
Judo has the ability to unite people around the world. It has the ability to make differences a strength, not a weakness. The example set by Para-athletes is extraordinary in this regard. As an athlete and judoka, you must have seen a Para-judo competition at least once in your life. You must have felt the friendship and humility shared by all to realise that we all have a contribution to make to making society fairer and more equitable.