Felix De Smedt

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Felix De Smedt (16 August 1923, Schelle, Belgium – 2 August 2012, Mechelen, Belgium) was a Belgian judoka who is credited with introducing the sport to Belgium. In January 1941, he studied judo formally in Berlin, and was the first Belgian to have done so. On 20 May 1946, he founded the first Belgian judo club in Schelle near Boom in the province of Antwerp, the Judo and Jujutsu Academy Bushido-Kwai.^[1] On March 14, 1951, the club was relocated to Mechelen.^[2] On 28 November 1996, it became the first Belgian judo club to be awarded the predicate Royal: the club is called the Royal Judo and Karate Academy Bushido-Kwai Mechelen. In October 1950, De Smedt co-founded the Bel. A. J. A. The Bel A. J. A. and the Association Fédérale Belge de Judo et Ju Jitsu (AFBJJ) (created 6 June 1949) were the predecessors to the Belgian Judo Federation. As an instructor, De Smedt was known for his emphasis on highly technical and clean judo, eschewing the use of blunt force.