Carrying a name as recognized and popular as that of Olympique de Marseille is "priceless", says Stéphane Mongellas, who initiated the link-up with the soccer club in 2012. All the more so as judo is its only omnisport discipline, renewed each year in the form of a license. As the OMTV channel has disappeared, French championship fights are no longer broadcast, but other tools are still available. And as for images, in recent years champions such as Lucie Decosse and Cyrille Maret have kicked off matches at the legendary Stade Vélodrome. Strong images to support the development of the judo section.

Stéphane Mongellas, who was already practising, had to join PSG Judo because there was no place for him in his home town. It was this experience that gave him the idea of approaching OM. "It was no longer possible to supply Parisian clubs," he smiles. Today, most OM Judo members are cadets or juniors. The Pro League team is therefore largely made up of outsiders, two-thirds of whom come from Montreuil, in Seine-Saint-Denis, with only one or two from the club. But the management team hopes to reverse this trend. "The idea is to fill our Pro League team with our youngsters as soon as they're ready," says the head coach, delighted that the OM logo on the judoji is "a hit" and attracting the region's best hopefuls. Who, perhaps one day, will follow in the footsteps of Alexandre Iddir, who went through the Marseille "Pôle Espoir" and then OM Judo before taking part in the Olympic Games in 2016 and 2021 (team gold medallist).