Switzerland will host the 2028 World Judo Championships after the International Judo Federation and Swiss Judo Federation signed the official hosting agreement on Saturday, 29 August, during the inaugural Ecole Mont-Olivet Lausanne Grand Slam.
The agreement was signed by IJF President Marius Vizer and Swiss Judo Federation President Sergei Aschwanden, in the presence of Christelle Luisier Brodard, President of the Council of the Canton of Vaud, and Émilie Moeschler, Lausanne Municipal Councillor responsible for Sport and Social Cohesion.
The 2028 World Championships will be held at a particularly important point in the judo calendar. The event will take place in the same year as the Los Angeles Olympic Games and only a few weeks before the Games, while also forming part of the Olympic qualification process. Lausanne will therefore welcome the world’s leading judoka at a decisive stage of the Olympic cycle.
The choice of Lausanne also carries particular significance. The city, home to the International Olympic Committee and known as the Olympic Capital, will host the World Judo Championships again after 55 years. Lausanne previously staged the competition in 1973.
Lausanne Grand Slam in 2026
IJF President Marius Vizer welcomed the agreement, saying: “It is an honour for us to organise in Lausanne, Switzerland, the flagship event of the International Judo Federation.” Vizer also thanked Sergei Aschwanden and the Swiss Judo Federation team, as well as the Canton of Vaud and the City of Lausanne, for their cooperation on the project.
The agreement was signed as Switzerland hosted its first Grand Slam. The Lausanne Grand Slam in 2026 and the 2027 edition will precede the 2028 World Championships and form part of the country’s programme of major judo events during this period.
Sergei Aschwanden said the confidence placed in Switzerland by the IJF was “an honour and a responsibility”. The Swiss Judo Federation president added that the 2028 World Championships would provide an opportunity to develop judo across several areas, including sporting excellence, participation, inclusion and the development of a new generation of athletes.
With the agreement signed, Switzerland will officially host the 2028 World Judo Championships. Lausanne will stage the event 55 years after its previous edition in 1973, with the championships taking place only weeks before the Los Angeles Olympic Games and playing an important role in the road to Olympic qualification.
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