The official page, which was opened in 2011, hit the half a million mark following the successful World Judo Day campaign, on October 28, and the Judo Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi that ran from October 31 to November 2.

The sport's world governing body put out a message on Facebook to mark the occasion.

"Dear Judo Fans!" read the post.

"The IJF Facebook page has reached 500,000 fans!"

Marius Vizer, the President of the IJF, was also celebrating the news and thanked judo fans across the globe for their support.

"The IJF is committed to engaging with judo fans in every corner of the world and attracting new fans and practitioners," he said.

"Our message and our desire to promote and share the values of our sport is visible in every IJF World Judo Tour event, every IJF developmental activity and everything we promote.

"Our live TV product is consumed by a huge international audience including 150 countries and this popularity extends to fans that follow the IJF's online platforms.

"Following the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam 2014 the IJF Facebook page reached the milestone of 500,000 fans.

"We thank each and every one of you for your fantastic and continued support.

"Together we can spread the values of judo and continue to share our mutual passion.

"We encourage you all to continue to support the IJF on all platforms and look forward to reaching more milestones together."

Follow the IJF on Facebook here. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
November 2014: Nations worldwide celebrate World Judo Day
November 2014: Hungarian continues superb season on final day of Abu Dhabi Judo Grand Slam