NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang received an honorary black belt from the International Judo Federation (IJF) in Astana on October 23. The federation said the award recognized his contributions to technology and innovation and the values he shares with the sport.
The presentation came during Huang’s visit to Kazakhstan for talks on the country’s AI development.
Following the World Judo Championships in Baku, IJF President Marius Vizer traveled to Astana to assess preparations for the 2027 championships, which the city will host. During his visit, Vizer presented Huang with the belt, according to NVIDIA’s account of the ceremony. Timur Kemell, the federation’s director of promotion and development and an Executive Committee member, then presented Huang with the Code of Judo. Its eight values include respect, courage, modesty, and self-control.
From left: IJF Executive Committee member Timur Kemell, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, and IJF President Marius Vizer at Huang’s honorary black belt ceremony in Astana. Image: IJF
The honorary black belt is a symbolic distinction rather than a rank earned through judo training and technical grading. The IJF has made similar awards to prominent figures outside competitive judo, including Pope Francis in 2022 and Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti in 2024. Vizer described Huang’s award as “a symbol of respect, commitment and belonging to the international judo family.”
NVIDIA also promoted the award through its Newsroom account on X on October 24, publishing a photograph of Huang alongside Vizer and Kemell. “The black leather jacket wasn’t the final form,” the company wrote, referring to Huang’s familiar attire.
Huang discussed martial arts during NVIDIA’s AI Summit in Mumbai in October 2024. In a conversation with actor and martial artist Akshay Kumar, he said both of his children held second-degree black belts.
“When you’re good at anything, it gives you confidence to do everything else,” Huang said.
Kazakhstan’s traditional wrestling sport, qazaq kuresi, was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016.
At the 2024 Paris Games, Yeldos Smetov became Kazakhstan’s first Olympic judo champion, following silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at the Tokyo Games.