For the Rhône Judo Committee, the year always begins with the Kagami Biraki ceremony, a traditional Japanese festival which means “opening the mirror”. This gesture symbolizes a start to the year marked by strength, harmony and luck.
The Committee has no shortage of them. After a last season where it reached, buoyed by the Paris Olympics, the record figure of 17,000 licensees, its numbers are almost as stable: “We are almost 16,000 licensees, knowing that the season is still long” specifies Alain Valette, president of the Rhône Committee.
The House of Judo is out of breath
In short, the Committee is doing much better than the Maison du Judo, which has become a real sieve on rainy days. This emblematic place which hosts major events and houses the Olympic Dojo, should therefore undergo a major renovation in 2027, due to lack of regular maintenance. A necessity and good news, even if the closure of this place for an entire season poses other problems, such as the operation of the Olympic Dojo which has 600 licensees.
In the meantime, the Maison du Judo was the scene of a beautiful ceremony with various demonstrations (Goshin Jitsu, Kendo) and some graduations: Sébastien Desbois received the 6e dan of his emblematic godfather Pierre Blanc (8th dan), while Mathieu Baillet (JC Albigny) received the 5the in the hands of Stéphane Micollet.
As for the Henri-Courtine Trophy, which honors the duration and quantity of work in judo structures, it was awarded to Ghislaine Roman and Paul-Henri Vanrapenbusch, two active members of the steering committee. The first is treasurer and responsible for refereeing, the second responsible for the sports commissioners.
