World Judo Day 2026 falls on 28 October and the International Judo Federation has announced the theme: Belonging.
The IJF sets out what the theme asks: not simply whether someone is allowed onto the tatami, but whether that person feels recognised, respected and able to remain part of the judo community.
The federation draws a distinction with the 2022 theme of Inclusion. Where inclusion describes opening the door, belonging asks whether the person who walks through it feels recognised, respected, supported and able to remain — in a club, a national federation or the sport as a whole.
The campaign names several groups the question touches: adapted and deaf judo, women and girls, children, and refugees and displaced people, alongside people held back by social, economic, cultural or geographical barriers.
The message the IJF is promoting is a simple one: every judoka should have a place on the tatami.
World Judo Day is marked by clubs and national federations around the world each year on 28 October.