Judo: Etoile Judo club competition |30 October 2023
Cadet -81kg winner Reuben Edmond (right) against Clint Cesar (Photo: Roland Duval)
Satisfactory turnout at World Judo Day tournament
- Promoting the spirit of camaraderie and growth
In the spirit of camaraderie and growth, October 28 marks a special day in the global judo community, with an annual celebration that serves as a powerful reminder of the values that bind the judo community worldwide together, transcending borders, backgrounds and abilities.
To commemorate this year’s World Judo Day which was on Saturday, the Etoile Judo Club hosted a competition at the Roche Caïman dojo, gathering athletes from four other local clubs – Baie Ste Anne, Grand Anse Praslin, Persévérance and Roche Caïman – who competed in the male and female minim, cadet, Junior and senior categories.
World Judo Day is celebrated to praise the martial art and the birthday of its founder, Kanō Jigorō Shihan, who was a Japanese athlete and educator.
World Judo Day aims to promote the values of the sport and its education system to all judo clubs and all judokas, through the International Judo Federation (IJF) member federations and with the help of modern communication tools, and each year has its own distinct theme.
The theme for this year’s World Judo Day is ‘Bring a Friend’ and perfectly complements the ethos of judo and its values.
It is an invitation, not just to seasoned practitioners, but to every member of the judo family, to introduce someone new to the sport, while it is also an opportunity for the community to grow, learn, and bond, fostering an environment where everyone feels welcome, included and valued.
In his message for the occasion, Marius Vizer, IJF president said, this year, more than ever, we need courtesy, courage, honesty, honour, modesty, respect, self-control and friendship, as the moral code of judo teaches us.
He said the world is going through difficult times, through conflicts that affect the most vulnerable and through a climate crisis that concerns us all.
“Friendship, which is at the heart of World Judo Day in 2023, is a fundamental value of understanding between peoples,” noted Mr Vizer who further added that beyond all our differences, we must do everything so that our children live in a better world, and this is what the judo community works towards every day.
“This year, we asked you to 'bring a friend' to join you on the tatami, where the dojo represents a secure place in which we can express ourselves freely. By inviting a friend, you demonstrate that judo is a sport but above all that it represents a way of life that we are ready to share with as many people as possible. Judo is based on the principle of mutual aid and prosperity (Jita kyoei), and this is what we need today,” concluded Mr Vizer.
Speaking about the competition, chairman of the Seychelles Judo Federation (SJF) Sandra Jeanne said they are satisfied with the turnout, especially the younger athletes.
She said, despite the absence of the senior athletes, the younger ones who turned up showed the willingness and determination to go forward, indicating that they have a lot to offer in the sports, while showing that there is a bright future for the sport, only if the authority invests in them.
In terms of improvement, Mrs Jeanne said there has been constant progression, especially among those who competed for the first time at the 11th Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) in Madagascar.
Roland Duval
