On February 21, 2026, Weinfelden became the meeting point for the Swiss A-Judo community: more than 70 participants from all language regions took part, and the referees also travelled in from all over Switzerland.
The day began with the referees’ annual training course led by Patrick Schmidli. The focus was on the current Special Olympics Judo competition rules and the reasoning behind them.
In the subsequent technique session, Didier Berruex and Cilia Evenblij taught various throws and hold-down techniques, including Ko-uchi-gari, O-uchi-gari and Tai-otoshi. The motivation and commitment on the mat were impressive.
After refreshments provided by the Judo and Ju-Jitsu Club Weinfelden, the traditional Special Olympics Mix-Mix team tournament followed. Clubs, gender and levels were deliberately mixed—team spirit, fairness and mutual support were the focus.
You can find more info and photos here.
