“It’s been a tremendous popular success,” Rougé begins, with a visible sense of pride. “Participation has increased by 60% compared to last year. Across the veterans’ event and the kata championships combined, we’ve welcomed more than 3,000 competitors. That’s impressive by any standard. France, and especially France Judo, has once again proven its organisational excellence. What we’ve witnessed here in Paris is nothing short of a judo festival, in both atmosphere and participation.”
The 2025 edition brought several significant developments, especially in kata. For the first time, two high-ranking kata, Itsutsu-no-kata and Koshiki-no-kata, were introduced into the official programme, expanding the technical and philosophical spectrum of the championships. Their inclusion, Rougé affirms, was “a defining milestone and an undeniable success.” But Paris was not only a stage for competition, it was also a platform for planning the future of kata development.
As Rougé explains, technical discussions took place over several days, with a clear focus on growth and education, “From 2026 onward, we will be integrating cadets more with competition kata. We’re fine-tuning the technical frameworks and progress is strong. We’re also developing a video-based competition for this age group, giving access to aspiring kata practitioners in distant regions and underserved communities. This will allow us to recognise outstanding kata pairs across the continents through a system of gold, silver and bronze awards, and identify the top 10 duos worldwide, building the next generation from the ground up.”
This year’s medal table reflects a healthy global distribution, a sign that kata is spreading and improving beyond traditional strongholds. The narrowing score margins further illustrate a marked rise in technical quality and performance consistency across nations.
Still, Rougé is mindful of the deeper purpose behind kata, “Competition is just one dimension of kata. At its heart, kata is about education, a framework for learning, not only technique but philosophy. Through kata, we strive to form better judoka and, ultimately, better human beings on the tatami and beyond.”
To honour this holistic vision, the commission is currently developing a new scoring system based on success rather than error, valuing form and aesthetics, rather than just precision. This will help to harmonise dan grading worldwide, in close collaboration with the IJF Academy, where practical kata sessions will soon integrate formal grade examinations. The vision is ambitious. The work is ongoing.
With each competition, each discussion, each carefully measured step, the kata community grows stronger, more visible and more deeply connected to the spirit of Jigoro Kano Shihan’s original dream.
“The challenges are many,” Rougé concludes. “But through competition and education, we are seeing kata claim the nobility it deserves and restoring it to its rightful place at the heart of judo.”
As the doors of the Paris dojo prepare to close, the future of kata opens, more inclusive, more expressive and more deeply aligned with judo’s founding values.