Continuity and stability remain at the forefront of Czech judo as Pavel Volek has been re-elected as President of the Czech Judo Federation, earning renewed confidence from the national judo community. With Czech judo continuing to build on strong foundations and competitive successes, the new term presents an opportunity to further strengthen the federation’s long-term vision and ambitions for the future.
Speaking following his re-election, President Volek discussed the road ahead for Czech judo:
“Personally, it is a deeply humbling moment and a great honour to receive such strong trust from the Czech judo community. Professionally, this mandate is a commitment to continue developing our mission, which stands firmly on three inseparable pillars: Organisation, Membership, and International Success. These are connected vessels, one cannot exist without the other. Without a strong grassroots membership base, we will have no athletes winning medals at championships, and without quality organisation, the base will crumble. This re-election gives us the stability to strengthen this entire pyramid.
“Our strategy for the next phase of my presidency is built precisely on these three pillars, starting with the first one: Organisation. We view the national federation primarily as a service provider for our regions and clubs. Our goal is not to centralise power in the capital but to empower regional associations by providing them with independent budgets and their own paid coaches because those in the regions know best where support is needed.
“In terms of competitions, our priority is completing the modernisation of our Technical Commission and fully digitalising tournament management. Another vital element of our organisation is the lungs of judo, our referees. We will therefore focus on the systematic recruitment and education of young referees to ensure professional tournament standards.
“Furthermore, we will deepen our excellent relationships with neighboring federations, the EJU, and the IJF. Hosting prestigious events like the European Open, Junior and Cadet European Cups, ‘Hopes’ tournaments, and international camps remains our key pathway to bringing world-class judo directly home to our athletes.
“This directly addresses our second pillar: Membership Development and Sustainability, which is all about caring for the bottom of our pyramid. We are currently at the threshold of 21,000 members, and our task is not just to maintain this number but to grow it organically through active recruitment in school groups and local clubs. To keep children engaged in judo, we need educated and motivated coaches. We plan to expand internships and methodical seminars, and ensure that at least one paid federation coach continues to operate within the Sports Centers in every region. Furthermore, we are committed to systemic support for specific groups, specifically female and girls’ judo, as well as veteran judo, which preserves the community, passion, and deep traditions of our sport.
“The shifting sporting landscape brings both modern challenges and great opportunities, which directly shapes the third pillar of our strategy: our top athletes and their podium performances on the world stage. One of our biggest challenges is navigating the critical transition phase where young athletes traditionally drop out of the sport. Therefore, our absolute priority in this cycle will be the Junior National Team, as it represents the critical bridge and breaking point between youth and senior judo, where future medalists are shaped. At the same time, the challenge of staying competitive globally presents an excellent opportunity to expand our support systems. We will continue our premium support for women’s judo, which has already borne fruit in the form of historic European Championship titles. Ultimately, we are turning these challenges into opportunities by gearing all our efforts toward providing maximum support and a world-class service to our Olympic Team in their preparation for Los Angeles 2028.
“At the end of this new term, I want athletes, coaches, and the wider judo community to say that our leadership successfully modernised the federation while staying true to judo’s core values. I want them to look at a thriving ecosystem where the regions feel autonomous and fully supported, where our membership base is robust and growing, and where our top competitors have the absolute best conditions to win medals on the world stage. I want the community to see that we treated Organisation, Membership, and Championship Success as one unbreakable unit, leaving Czech judo stronger and more united from the roots to the very top.”
Author: EJU Media