Felix De Smedt

Who is Felix De Smedt?

Felix Desmedt was a Belgian judo pioneer. He was the first Belgian to have formally studied judo. He is attributed to have introduced judo in Belgium. On May 20, 1946, he founded the first Belgian judo club in Schelle near Boom in the Belgian province of Antwerp, under the name Judo and Jujutsu Academy Bushido-Kwai. On March 14, 1951, the club was relocated to Mechelen. On November 28, 1996 it became the first Belgian judo club to be awarded the predicate 'Royal'. The club is still in existence and currently operating under the name "Royal Judo and Karate Academy Bushido-Kwai Mechelen" and is the oldest Belgian judo club. De Smedt was a co-founder of the BEL. A. J. A., which together with the Association Fédérale Belge de Judo et Ju Jitsu was a predecessor to the later Belgian Judo Federation. As an instructor, De Smedt was known for his emphasis on a highly technical and clean judo eschewing the use of blunt force.