The 1000 dojos project was born at the Tokyo Olympics, while the President of the Republic was visiting. “I had printed on a double page our idea of developing dojos and I distributed to elected officials and political representatives, everyone thought I was crazy,” laughs Stéphane Nomis, president of the French judo federation.
Emmanuel Macron will leave Japan with his copy and will launch, three months later, the 5000 new equipment plan, allowing cities to build new sports infrastructures by 2024. The 1000 dojos plan is part of this dynamic.
“With the Covid, 1000 judo clubs have disappeared, recalls Stéphane Nomis, the idea was to create new ones, especially in neighborhoods where local infrastructure is sorely lacking. The federation has set up software to determine the deficient areas. “The challenge is to make sport accessible to as many people as possible, people naturally gravitate towards sport which is close to their homes,” said the president of the federation. By installing dojos, we give the possibility of doing judo. »
Create a “new club model”
These new dojos are set up mainly in building halls, in collaboration with cities and social landlords, who make the premises available. “The idea is to create a new model of clubs, solidarity clubs with different practices: judo for children, taïso for the elderly, self-defense for teenagers, continues Stéphane Nomis. The idea is to open up to all audiences, in particular through integration programs. Sport, but not only, since computers to help with homework and Japanese libraries are available to young people. Via an agreement, the local clubs, which manage the dojos, also undertake to offer several outings during the year to their licensees.
In Île-de-France, the first two “solidarity dojos” have opened in Nanterre and Clichy-sous-Bois (in a supermarket in the Chêne Pointu district), others are planned in Grigny, Fleury-Mérogis, Ris- Orangis, Limeil, Villeneuve-la-Garenne, Gennevilliers or even Chanteloup-les-Vignes.
Each project costs around 40,000 euros, financed mainly by the state (30,000 euros per dojo). The federation helps find the missing funding. In order to speed up development (107 projects are in progress in France), it has hired 6 people, whom interested cities, everywhere in France, can contact. “We visit premises every day, we hunt for projects, it’s the future of judo that is at stake”, enthuses the president who intends to “boost the neighborhoods” and participate in the legacy of the 2024 Games.
