Press kitThe Judo Nomad
Julien Brulard is a French judo coach on a 10-year mission: teach judo for free in all 197 countries, with as few flights as possible.
Numbers as of October 2026. Live country count: the journey map.
Key facts
- Who
- Julien Brulard, French judo coach. Sport science master’s (INSEP), three years living in Japan.
- The mission
- Teach judo for free in all 197 countries over 10 years, with as few flights as possible.
- Since
- August 2021. Season 5 (2026): Europe to the Americas. Season 6 (from early 2027): Latin America, starting in Mexico.
- Coaching
- Coach of Team Vanuatu at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Every level, from first-timers to national teams.
- Recognition
- Finalist, IJF Awards 2025 (Judo for Peace). Author of the series Julien Goes Around the World on IJF.org, 40+ chapters.
- Funding
- Classes on the road are free. The project runs on donations from a community of supporters in 25 countries, and on partners.
- Behind it
- The Judo Nomad association (loi 1901), based in Oise, France.
Quick facts to get right
- Julien is an Olympic coach (Team Vanuatu, Paris 2024), not an Olympic athlete.
- He flies as little as possible: about 1 leg in 8 is a flight, mostly to cross oceans.
- The goal is 197 countries. The count is 66 so far (October 2026).
- Classes on his route are free. The project lives on donations and partners.
Bios
Ready to copy and paste. Numbers as of October 2026.
English
Short
Julien Brulard is a French judo coach on a 10-year mission to teach judo for free in all 197 countries, with as few flights as possible. Since 2021, The Judo Nomad has taken him to 66 countries and 400+ clubs. He coached Team Vanuatu at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Long
Julien Brulard is a French judo coach and the creator of The Judo Nomad, a 10-year mission to teach judo for free in all 197 countries, with as few flights as possible. He holds a sport science master’s from INSEP and lived three years in Japan, the home of judo. He set off in August 2021 with one idea: judo has no borders. Since then he has taught in 66 countries, from village dojos to more than 20 national teams, and travelled over 170,000 km, seven legs out of eight by land or sea. He coached Team Vanuatu at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. His classes on the road are free: the project runs on donations from a community of supporters in 25 countries. He shares every country on YouTube and in his series for the International Judo Federation, now over 40 chapters. In 2027 he starts Season 6, across Latin America.
Français
Court
Julien Brulard est un coach de judo français. Sa mission : enseigner le judo gratuitement dans les 197 pays du monde en dix ans, en prenant l’avion le moins possible. Depuis 2021, The Judo Nomad l’a mené dans 66 pays et plus de 400 clubs. Il a été le coach de l’équipe du Vanuatu aux Jeux olympiques de Paris 2024.
Long
Julien Brulard est un coach de judo français, créateur de The Judo Nomad : un projet de dix ans pour enseigner le judo gratuitement dans les 197 pays du monde, en prenant l’avion le moins possible. Titulaire d’un master en sciences du sport (INSEP), il a vécu trois ans au Japon, berceau du judo. Parti en août 2021 avec une idée simple, le judo n’a pas de frontières, il a depuis enseigné dans 66 pays, des dojos de village à plus de 20 équipes nationales, et parcouru plus de 170 000 km, dont sept trajets sur huit par la terre ou la mer. Il a été le coach de l’équipe du Vanuatu aux Jeux olympiques de Paris 2024 et aux Jeux du Commonwealth de Glasgow 2026. Ses cours sur la route sont gratuits : le projet vit des dons d’une communauté de soutiens dans 25 pays. Il raconte chaque pays sur YouTube et dans une série d’articles pour la Fédération internationale de judo (IJF), qui compte plus de 40 chapitres. En 2027, il lance la saison 6 en Amérique latine. Le projet est porté par l’association The Judo Nomad, basée dans l’Oise.
Tip: one click selects a whole bio.
Story ideas
A few angles to explore. Happy to talk about any of them.
Judo has no borders
What one sport looks like in 66 countries, from Japan to Mongolia, and in places where he expected no judo at all.
The small-nation Olympic coach
Coaching Team Vanuatu, a small Pacific judo federation, at Paris 2024 and Glasgow 2026.
Everywhere and nowhere
Five years on the road, with seven legs out of eight by land or sea.
Free, funded by the community
How a project built on free classes keeps going, one supporter at a time.
Season 6: Latin America
From Mexico down to Chile, starting in early 2027.
Local angle (France)
An association from Oise taking judo to every country in the world.
Photos & logo
Free to use in articles about The Judo Nomad, with the credit shown under each photo. Click a picture to open the full-size file. Need a specific country, a national team or video footage? Just ask.
Portrait
Five versions of the same photo. Credit: © The Judo Nomad
- Red sun, verticalJPG
- Red sun, horizontalJPG · room for a headline
- Plain backgroundJPG · neutral version
- Square headshotJPG · avatars and guest cards
- CutoutPNG · transparent background
Coverage
- International Judo FederationJulien Goes Around the World, a series of 40+ chapters on IJF.org. Latest chapter
- The Judo Way of LifePodcast, two episodes with Julien. Listen
- BJJ GlobetrottersFeatured traveller interview. Read
Contact
Interviews in French or English: in person, by phone, or by video when the connection allows. I’m often in a different time zone, so email works best.
julien@thejudonomad.com