The Lycée Chateaubriand in Rome hosted its first Judo Festival on November 5 and 6, 2026, introducing primary and middle school students to the sport through sessions led by two French Olympic medalists.
The event provided participants with direct instruction from former world champion Larbi Benboudaoud and Olympic bronze medalist Automne Iddir Pavia.
Benboudaoud, who secured the world title in 1999 and an Olympic silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games, joined Pavia on the tatami to guide students through the fundamentals of the discipline. Pavia, a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, also holds three European titles and two world championship bronze medals.
The program focused on practical skill development, moving students from collective warm-ups to structured partner exercises. Under the guidance of the two Olympians, participants practiced maintaining their balance, managing their physical movements, and practicing focus on their partners.
According to the Lycée Chateaubriand, these exercises served to anchor the festival’s core values—respect, self-control, and the courage to attempt new techniques—in a tangible, athletic context. The school organized the two-day event in partnership with France Judo and the FIJLKAM, the Italian federation governing judo, wrestling, karate, and other martial arts.
The school held this initiative for the first time. The collaboration between the French and Italian governing bodies provided the technical support necessary to facilitate the demonstrations and student training sessions on the school’s premises.
The school administration concluded the event by thanking the participating athletes and the representative teams from both France Judo and the FIJLKAM for their involvement in the two-day discovery project.
