Vladivostok Russia, Sept 13, 2018: The port city of Vladivostok, in the far east of Russia, is home to the Eastern Economic Forum for three days (11-13 September).
It is in this prestigious setting that the International Jigoro Kano Judo Tournament, under the auspices of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, took place.
From left to right: Marius Vizer (IJF President), Shinzo Abe (Prime Minister of Japan), Vladimir Putin (President of the Russian Federation) and Khaltmaagiin Battulga (President of Mongolia) – Photo © Putin.life
Khaltmaagiin Battulga (President of Mongolia) was also present alongside with IJF President, Marius Vizer.
The tournament is one of the main sporting event attached to the Forum.
Initially designed for two countries (Russia and Japan) and for Juniors, the tournament, supported by the International Judo Federation, this year welcomed five cadets delegations (Russia, Japan, Mongolia, China and South Korea) composed of mixed teams of 8 women and 8 men.
Awarding ceremony of the International Jigoro Kano Judo Tournament
The judo event encourages the strengthening of friendly relations between peoples.
President of Russia, Prime Minister of Japan and President of Mongolia Enjoy Judo at the International Jigoro Kano Judo Tournament
The choice of Vladivostok did not make by chance as in 1917, more than 100 years ago, the first Russian-Japanese judo tournament held in the city.
The idea of organizing this tournament supported at the state level in both countries, and in collaboration with the Russian Judo Federation, led by Vasily Anisimov, the concept of the mixed team competition developed.
During the opening of the 2018 edition of the tournament, Vladimir Putin declared:
“I would like to begin by thanking Yasuhiro Yamashita for the very idea to hold an annual tournament here in Vladivostok.
I think we are doing well and this tournament is becoming a tradition.
This is yet another venue for the development of our favourite sport.
I would also like to thank my colleagues – the President of Mongolia and the Prime Minister of Japan for their support and for being with us today (Vladivostok).
Of course, I would like to thank the organisers – the Russian Judo Federation and my friends from this federation, who are spending much time and effort on the development of this sport.
And, of course, I would like to congratulate the participants, all of them.
This year five teams took part in the tournament.
I would like to say that they demonstrated very good technical skills, good judo and a youthful exuberance that is typical of sport in general and judo in particular, as well as the will to win.
What we have seen today is certainly worthy of the name of judo founder Jigoro Kano.
Our tournament bears his name.
This is a good start, a good beginning for any athlete: to show their worth, to make a name for themselves and display their potential.
I am sure we will see many of the young men and women here today at international competitions and tournaments.
We all wish you success. Thank you very much.“
During the judo tournament, which saw the final block take place in the presence of three heads of state and personalities of the sporting and economic world, the best Russian, Japanese, Mongolian, Chinese and Korean cadets clashed in an atmosphere that was both competitive and friendly, in accordance with the judo values.
The last match of the day saw the host team, Russia, facing Japan and it is the Cadets Russian team who won the gold medal after a very tight final.
Beautiful display of judo during the International Jigoro Kano Judo Tournament Vladivostok
The last minutes were particularly tense as after 16 matches, both teams had the exact same number of victories, eight each.
The trophy presented by Vladimir Putin.
In their first participation in the International Jigoro Kano Judo Tournament, South Korea took the bronze medal after having defeated team Mongolia by 10 victories to 5 in the bronze medal contest.
Eastern Economic Forum Vladivostok
As a prelude to the tournament, Marius Vizer participated in the debates of the Eastern Economic Forum during which topics were discussed such as the issues of international cooperation in the Asian region, the possibilities of cooperation during the preparation for the Olympic Games, and the use of the sports bases of regions and countries to prepare Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Games.
The President of Mongolia, the leaders of Russian sport, IOC representatives, the head of the Olympic Committee of China, the head of the Organizing Committee for the 2022 Games in Beijing, and the President of the European Judo Union also participated in the discussions, in the presence of several Judo World Champions and Olympic Champions including Arsen Galstyan, Mansur Isaev, Tagir Khaibulaev and Ivan Nifontov.
Eastern Economic Forum Vladivostok:
The Eastern Economic Forum was created by decree of the President Vladimir Putin on May 19, 2015.
The forum is recognized by the global community platform to build and launch projects to strengthen the Asia-Pacific’s business relationships and increase its competitiveness.
International Judo Federation: The International Judo Federation (IJF) is the world governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of judo.
The IJF, founded in 1951, has organised its IJF World Judo Tour since 2009 which comprises of a World Championships, a World Judo Masters, Grand Prix and Grand Slam events.
Judo is one of the world’s most widely practiced sports and over 40 million people around the globe practice the sport which is also a martial art and an education tool. —- IJF
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