Last weekend in Paris, the French Federation CFJJB, known for helping host the IBJJF European Championship in 2023 and 2024, organized a tournament just for white belts.
Over 2000 athletes competed for the first-ever “Novice French National Championship” in Gi and No Gi. Some divisions had the maximum number of 128 competitors, and registration for these closed early. Winners had to beat 7 opponents to win the gold – quite an achievement!
But, like in any white belt tournament, there were some who tried to cheat their way to victory. Judo black belts, MMA fighters, and national-level wrestlers aren’t allowed to compete at this level. Luckily, the organizers caught some of them.
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The tournament lasted two days and took place at the “Grand Dome” in Villebon, near Paris. Each mat had cameras for the referees to review point-scoring actions. Disqualifications had to be confirmed by video to make sure nobody got unfairly kicked out.
The French team INFINITY won the most points in both Gi and No Gi categories. Led by David Pierre Louis and François Laurent, they also won at the last French National Championship and became the first all-French team to win an award at the IBJJF Novice European Championship in 2024.
