Former Olympic silver medalist and professional wrestler Naoya Ogawa has marked two decades since opening his martial arts school, using the milestone to voice sharp concerns regarding the state of Japanese judo.
Ogawa Marks Two Decades Since Opening Martial Arts School
Ogawa made the remarks during the 2026 Autumn Judo Class and Strengthening Training Camp held at the Alten Japan Budo-kan in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, as reported by Tokyo Sports. The two-day youth event drew an estimated 1,300 children alongside local dignitaries, including Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Reconstruction Tadokoro Kadori and Mito’s mayor. Ogawa attended as an advisor, overseeing sessions that included instruction from two-time Olympic gold medalist Shohei Ono.
Building Resilience Beyond the Tatami
Marking 20 years since the establishment of Ogawa Dojo in April 2006—founded while he was still active in professional wrestling—Ogawa reflected on his transition to full-time coaching following his retirement from the ring in June 2018. His students are increasingly making their mark alongside his eldest son, Yusei, producing multiple high school champions.
“At first, I was just doing things based on my own ideas,” Ogawa told Tokyo Sports regarding his two decades as an instructor. “Now, 20 years later, that has turned into results. Having gone through a full cycle of results, I do find myself thinking about whether my methods were the right ones.”
Despite his success in producing competitive athletes, Ogawa emphasized that collecting trophies is secondary to his core philosophy. His primary goal has always been to build mental toughness and resilience that young people can carry into everyday life beyond the tatami.
“Winning championships in judo doesn’t matter much to me,” Ogawa said. “I want them to become champions in worlds outside of judo as well. The original idea was to build a strong heart and toughness that can endure out in society.”
Clashing Over Youth Sports Policy
That pragmatic approach fuels his frustration with current trends in youth sports governance. In 2022, the All Japan Judo Federation abolished national individual championship tournaments for fifth and sixth-grade elementary students, citing concerns over excessive weight-cutting and an overemphasis on winning.
Ogawa criticized the policy shift, arguing that eliminating competitive milestones denies children vital opportunities to experience defeat and learn from failure. Drawing on his own experience winning silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics—where his terse post-match comments drew intense public criticism—Ogawa questioned the rationale behind shielding young competitors from the scoreboard.
“I don’t really understand the reasoning,” Ogawa said. “If weight is the issue, make it an open-weight category. What’s wrong with losing? When I competed, people treated me like a traitor, but inside I thought, ‘Why is this bad?’ Give it your best shot, and if you lose, you lose. The judo community talks about how defeat is important, so why get rid of matches with winners and losers?”
A Warning on International Competitiveness
Ogawa issued a broader warning regarding Japan’s standing in international sports, suggesting that domestic complacency has allowed rival nations to close the gap. He pointed directly to the shifting balance of power in the sport.
“It’s natural that France has overtaken us,” Ogawa said. “There are too few people who genuinely love judo. Even within the judo community, there are so many people where you have to wonder, ‘Do you actually like judo?’ Far too many people look down on the sport from a position of superiority. If you ask me, they are taking judo lightly.”
With his professional wrestling career behind him and his dojo firmly established, Ogawa continues to work directly at the youth level, balancing his critique of institutional policy with hands-on development for the next generation of martial artists.
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