Yasuhiro Yamashita, president of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics judo gold medalist, will receive the Olympic Order for his contributions to Olympism as an athlete and sports leader. He stepped back from duties due to a cervical spine injury sustained in October 2023 and is expected to step down from all roles, including his IOC membership, assumed in January 2020. Yamashita's judo achievements include four world titles, nine All-Japan Championships, and 203 consecutive victories. He founded the NGO Solidarity of International Judo Education (SJI) and has been Director of Education for the International Judo Federation since 2003.

The Sierra Leone Judo Association (SLJA), with support from the International Judo Federation (IJF), successfully concluded its six-month National Children’s Training Camp in May 2025, as part of the 'Judo in Schools' initiative. The camp, which ran from December 2024, involved hundreds of athletes aged 6-13 and was held every weekend. The SLJA provided resources such as food, transportation, and accommodation. A subsequent training camp is scheduled to start in October 2025.

Kazakhstan is strategically investing in judo to become a global powerhouse. Since 2023, reforms have focused resources on Olympic sports like judo, aligning with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s goals. Kazakhstan will host the IJF Grand Slam through 2026 and the 2027 World Judo Championships, as agreed by IJF President Marius Vizer and Minister Yermek Marzhikpayev. An IJF Academy is under construction in Astana, and the "Judo in Schools" program started in 2019 to promote the sport at a grassroots level. Azamat Mukanov, among other athletes, has received significant financial support. The nation aims to lead Central Asian judo and become a global benchmark for sports development.

Vietnam held its 2025 Senior National Judo Championships in early April, earlier than usual, to prepare for the South East Asian Games in Bangkok in December. The championships featured competitions and educational seminars for coaches, referees, and athletes, including a national referees’ examination on the latest International Judo Federation (IJF) rules, kata seminars, and judges' workshops. The Kata National Championships involved 65 specialists. Individual senior championships had 381 participants. New, lighter weight categories were introduced. Participants from past Olympic Games were present. Team events featured 21 teams each for men and women. A referees' seminar, led by Ly Dai Nghia, focused on newly implemented IJF rules for 2025, enhancing competitive readiness.

The Sierra Leone Judo Association (SLJA) launched a gender equality initiative, highlighted by the inaugural Sierra Leone Judo Female Seminar and training camp held from March 15-17, 2025, in Bo City. The initiative, supported by the International Judo Federation (IJF), includes the establishment of the SLJA's Gender Equality Commission to advance women's role in judo. The launch event was attended by Idrissa Massaquoi, SLJA President, and Mrs. Permala Williams, Women in Sport Commissioner from the National Olympic Committee. The training camp focused on skill development, tactical training, and leadership, with the aim of increasing female participation at all levels and creating pathways for female judoka to compete nationally and internationally.