SPOKANE, Wash. — The nation’s top young judokas gathered at The Podium this weekend for the 2026 USA Judo National and International Junior Olympic Championships.
The three-day event brought athletes from across the country to Spokane and served as a qualifying event for several international competitions, including the Cadet and Junior World Championships and the U13 and U15 Pan American Championships.
For USA Judo Director of High Performance Ed Liddie, Spokane has become one of the organization’s favorite stops.
“This is one of our favorite venues in the nation,” Liddie said. “It’s well put together, and it’s one of our favorite venues in the United States.”
Liddie said many people misunderstand what judo actually is.
“As soon as you say judo, they think Bruce Lee, kicking and punching,” Liddie said. “We’re more of a cousin to wrestling. It’s takedowns and pins. No kicking, no punching and definitely no breaking wood.”
After participation slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Liddie said the sport is continuing to grow nationwide.
“We’re just starting to gain momentum since COVID,” he said. “This is our biggest junior nationals of the year, and we’re picking up new members all the time.”
Pacific Judo Academy helped host the championships, a process that organizer Leigh Yamada said took more than a year of planning and support from volunteers across the region.
“It does take a lot of commitment,” Yamada said. “For these tournaments to be a success, we have to have volunteers.”
Yamada said judo’s greatest strength is the community it creates.
“You get to meet people from all over the world,” Yamada said. “To me, judo is a family.”
The event brought nearly 2,000 competitors to Spokane over the weekend, further cementing the city’s reputation as a destination for major national sporting events. Over 50 Washington athletes also earned medals during the competition.
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