Federal Eco Foam Leads The Way In Sustainable Sports Mats At The Olympics And Judo

With the 2024 Paris Olympics in full swing and coming to a close, athletes from all over the world are competing for the gold in a variety of sports. The Olympic motto of “Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter”, translated as “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”, represents each athlete’s commitment to excellence and dedication to give their best in competition on the world stage.

Over our entire history, we at Federal Eco Foam have also prided ourselves on a tradition of product quality and excellence, the hallmark of our success for 50+ years. One of the ultimate testaments in recognition of our excellence as a martial arts mat manufacturer was in 1996 when we were selected as the sole tatami provider for the judo competition at the Atlanta Olympic games. Already before and ever since the 1996 Olympics, we have supported athletes in their pursuit of their dreams with the best training and competition surfaces to become the best in their sport.

The Impact of Federal Eco Foam's Sports Mats on the Sporting World

Long before their first appearance at the Olympics, our Agglorex tatami mats have made a huge impact in the world of martial arts. Providing optimal surfaces and cushioning for athletes, our tatamis ensure safety and performance and have been featured in many martial arts competitions.  

The Federal Eco Foam team with Marius Vizer, president of the International Judo Federation, at the Paris Olympics 2024

Most recently, our Agglorex tatamis were featured in the Grand Slam of Paris judo tournament in February of 2024. This event is the equivalent of the American Super Bowl, with a global selection of future Olympians going to compete in this year's Olympics. Other notable competitions include multiple Judo World Championships; European, Asian and Pan-American Championships; Grand Slams and Grand Prix. 

FEF was the first, and nowadays is one of the only companies, who holds the “Official Tatami Supplier” certification granted by the International Judo Federation (IJF). To obtain this certification, our judo mats go through annual thorough testing to ensure the strict IJF requirements for fall comfort, secured grip and durability provide an optimal performance for the competing judokas. Due to our high-quality mats and commitment to athlete safety, we have been awarded the IJF certification for over 25 consecutive years.  

The IJF certification is required to have one's mats used in the Olympics, and we are honored our mats have been at the forefront of many golden Judo legends' success, including but not limited to:

• Tadahiro Nomura (Japan),
• David Douillet (France),
• Jimmy Pedro (US),
• and Belgium's own Ingrid Berghmans, Robert Van de Walle, Ulla Werbrouck and Matthias Casse.  

Sports Mats Growth Through Distributor Partnerships

Our distributor relationships have been instrumental in getting our martial arts mats to where they are today, in close to 100 countries throughout the world. Many of our distributors are notable judo medalists themselves who took their competitive fire from the mat to the business world, among many others:  

• Raymond Damblant of Jukado in Canada, a former Olympic and World Champion referee, as well as a former Canadian Judo team coach;  
• Neil Adams of Fighting Films in the UK, a retired former Olympic and World Champion medalist and;  
• Jimmy Pedro of Fuji Mats , an Olympic medalist who won bronze on our Agglorex tatamis at the 1996 Games and former coach of U.S. Judo Olympian Kayla Harris, a gold medal winner. 

All our distributor partners have played an important role in growing the Agglorex brand into a world-renowned product. Our pursuit of continuous innovation and the push from our partners for ever-higher quality has helped make our martial arts mats the “gold” standard in martial arts and furthered our expansion into arenas such as MMA and yoga mats. 

Eco-Friendly Tatamis & Judo Mats: How Recycled Sports Mats are Shaping the 2024 Paris Olympics

Sustainability is at the forefront of the 2024 Paris Olympics as its organizers have pledged to reduce the event's carbon footprint by 50% in comparison to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Plans are in place to create the “most sustainable” games by limiting emissions to half the level of those from the previous Games. 

With roots in recycling, we have already supported a sustainable approach to sports ever since we started producing our Agglorex tatamis and other sports products. To be an IJF-certified company, rebond foam must be the core element for a tatami . Rebond foam is a recycled foam product made from polyurethane trim foam, a process that produces less emissions than prime foam production.  

Because of rebond's durability, competition mats used at the Olympics are often repurposed and donated to local dojos or national training facilities. This in turn extends the product's lifecycle, while keeping the foam products out of landfills. 

Investing in the Future of Judo

We look forward to contributing to the future of Judo and will be supplying our tatamis in different training facilities surrounding the Paralympics set for late this summer. By providing up-and-coming generations of athletes with high-performing judo mats , we continue to help strengthen judo on a global scale. A reliable tatami plays a crucial role in the development and preparation of athletes who will compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 

The Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Olympics 2024

Looking further ahead, we remain dedicated to the improvement of our sports mats product line. With a new upgrade debuting next year, we are committed to continuing our tradition of creating high-quality martial arts products to further cement our position as a leading sports mats manufacturer.  

The new line will ensure we further refine the mat finish and dimensions, with enhanced overall quality control throughout the entire production process. This new production line will also have an ecological focus, as we plan to convert our raw materials to reduce our carbon footprint. 

Our knowledge and craftmanship are essential for building competitive dojos and training facilities and creating high-level judo competitions worldwide. With a legacy defined by innovation, quality and sustainability, we will continue to trailblaze the “gold” standard in the world of martial arts.