Every year, the International Judo Federation and the whole judo community celebrate World Judo Day on 28th October. This day represents a lot for all the judo fans around the world as it is the birthday of the founder of judo, Jigoro Kano Shihan. The theme in 2024 is WELLBEING.

Wellbeing is a complex combination of a person’s physical, mental, emotional and social health factors. Wellbeing is strongly linked to happiness and life satisfaction. In short, wellbeing could be described as how you feel about yourself and your life.

In the lead-up to World Judo Day, we will describe how you can activate your judo community at a local, regional and international level. In this third article, we are focusing on the emotional dimension of wellbeing, which is closely linked with mental wellbeing as described here (https://www.ijf.org/news/show/wjd-2024-2-mental-wellbeing) and which plays an important role in judo. In fact, despite judo being an individual sport, it is first and foremost a social tool where emotions are a key factor.

How you react to your experiences and feelings can change over time. Emotional wellness is the ability to handle life’s stresses successfully and adapt to change and difficult times. Here is what you can do on WJD.

Peer Support Programmes

Create peer support networks where judoka can share their experiences, offer advice and provide emotional support to one another. This could be especially beneficial for young athletes or those facing challenges in their personal lives.

Team-building Activities

Organise team-building exercises and social events that strengthen the sense of community within clubs and national teams. Activities like outdoor adventures, group games or social gatherings can boost morale and foster stronger emotional connections.

Family Involvement

Encourage family members to participate in judo-related activities. Family days, where parents and siblings can join in judo sessions or attend wellness workshops, can strengthen the support system around athletes. Widen the circle to friends and relatives.

These are just a few examples of what can be done to promote emotional wellbeing on World Judo Day and of course it is possible to combine several activities including activities related to physical and mental wellbeing. You are totally free to invent programmes according to your needs and the needs of your judoka. Don't forget to let us know how you see the promotion of mental wellbeing for judo people and what you will do on World Judo Day, by sending us your feedback to [email protected]

Until 28th October, be well and be mentally well!

See also