France Judo President Stéphane Nomis revealed that the organisation's budget had grown to €40 million in two years ©Philippe Millereau KMSP

France Judo President Stéphane Nomis has revealed that the organisation’s budget has almost doubled since he took the reins two-and-a-half years ago as he seeks to professionalise the sport in his country.

Nomis has been head of the governing body since December 2020 when he defeated previous long-standing leader Jean-Luc Rougé in an election.

Since then, Nomis told insidethegames that France Judo’s budget had risen from €25 million (£21.7 million/$27.2 million) to €40 million (£34.7 million/$43.5 million).

Acquiring new sponsors has been one of the key factors in the boost to the body’s finances, with French car manufacturer Renault the latest to agree a deal.

As part of the two-year sponsorship agreement, the Renault logo will be displayed on the left sleeve of the judogi worn by all athletes during international competition, including this week’s World Championships in Qatari capital Doha.

"We have developed a lot of different things," Nomis told insidethegames.

"We need to be more professional if we want to have the best federation in the world.

insidethegames chief senior reporter Geoff Berkeley interviews France Judo President Stéphane Nomis on the sidelines of the World Judo Championships in Doha ©France Judo
insidethegames chief senior reporter Geoff Berkeley interviews France Judo President Stéphane Nomis on the sidelines of the World Judo Championships in Doha ©France Judo

"That’s our goal so we have to work out how to improve our number.

"It’s very important and I think we’re in a good way.

"When we did the [Presidential] campaign, one of my promises was to develop judo.

"I promised it in four years and I did it in two so that’s not so bad."

Last year, France Judo launched the Judo Pro League featuring 12 clubs from across the country.

Four further teams are set to be added to the league this year, with Nomis aiming to ensure that judo remains one of the country’s biggest sports.

"We want our judo players to be more professional than before," said Nomis.

"The [International Judo Federation] World Judo Tour is amazing, it’s very professional but we miss our champions in our country.

Teddy Riner, sporting the Renault logo on his left sleeve, captured his 11th world title in the Qatari capital ©Getty Images
Teddy Riner, sporting the Renault logo on his left sleeve, captured his 11th world title in the Qatari capital ©Getty Images

"We need them to fight in our country.

"In France, we compete against football, rugby and tennis but now MMA [mixed martial arts], UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] and boxing are competitors.

"We need to show spectators that we can deliver a big show with judo, not a show for three, four or seven days but on one night."

Nomis has also made changes to France’s national coaching team with men’s team coach Christophe Galiano sacked in November last year after failing to win a single medal at the World Championships in Tashkent a month earlier.

Baptiste Leroy replaced Galiano in the hot seat with the task of preparing them for next year’s Olympics in Paris.

The move led high performance director Larbi Benboudaoud to resign from his post after claiming that Nomis had taken a "major risk" in getting rid of Galiano.

Twelve teams took part in the inaugural Judo Pro League in France last year ©Judo Pro League
Twelve teams took part in the inaugural Judo Pro League in France last year ©Judo Pro League

Nomis believes that the performances of athletes at the World Championships justified his decision to sack Galiano.

"[We sacked Galiano] because we didn’t have enough results and the energy for me was not good so we changed men’s team," said Nomis.

"The athletes are very young, like 21 or 22 years old.

"In one year it will be another story."

Teddy Riner made his first appearance in a World Championships in 2017 and marked his return by claiming men’s over-100kg gold, while Walide Khyar earned men’s under-66kg bronze.

"The worst thing was the elimination of Luca [Mkheidze]," Nomis added.

"We expect more from him but he made a mistake and in judo you can’t make a mistake.

"I am sure we will have a good team to get results.

"We want 10 medals [at Paris 2024]."