"Judo instills civic values and a sense of community"

He is the linchpin of the Amicale judo associatif (AJA) Paris 20th. Alexandre Borderieux is passionately committed to the club he founded in 2003 in the heart of the 20th arrondissement. The former top-level judoka - French champion in 1992 - defends sporting values among the very young.

In fact, several of the club's athletes are among those supported by the City as they prepare for the Paris 2024 Games. On February 5 and 6, 2022, AJA Paris 20e hosted the Paris Grand Slam on the tatamis of the Accor Arena.

In 2003, I took part in the World Championships in Osaka (Japan). I had founded the club a few months earlier. I was eager to apply my skills in a training capacity and was looking for a career change as a coach. I also wanted to work in a working-class neighborhood. I was working as a sports educator for the city at the Orteaux gymnasium (20th arrondissement). Little by little, I created links with young people in the Saint Blaise neighborhood. Then I said to myself: "Why not set up my own club?".
After several years of hard work, we won our first national medals in 2008, with a French championship title.

Since 2008, we have collected 52 national medals in the top divisions, including 17 gold, 13 silver and 22 bronze. We have also had 14 judokas selected for European championships, with 7 individual and 3 team medals. Our club has 300 members.

Judo instills civic values and a sense of community. This sometimes involves very concrete actions. At the Orteaux gymnasium, for example, there are 150 mats to set up and clear away after each training session. Everyone must contribute; it teaches the younger generation that challenges and efforts must be communal.

Judo also conveys human values and mutual respect, and brings everyone into a community with its own rules.
In judo, you'll always find someone stronger than you, but the judoka must always rise above difficulties. Not all our judokas will become champions, but they will have acquired human values that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.

It's huge. The Games represent an impressive showcase for our sport. We'll be doing everything we can to have an athlete from our club present at the Games. If it's a youngster from our neighborhood, that'll be the icing on the cake! It will force us to be the best, which is a great challenge for a young club like ours. I know how far we still have to go. I'm sure that judo fans will be out in force in 2024: we're already one of the few sports to be able to fill the Accor Arena (12th arrondissement) for two consecutive days for the Paris Grand Slam.