"First of all, I must say how impressed I am by all the judoka who are competing here. They are all passionate about the sport and that warms my heart. For the last two days, I've been walking around the venue and I met so many people who love judo. This is amazing.
On day 1, we had three American world champions and that is really fantastic. I know all of them personally and I was so happy for them. It's all about sharing. You know the love for judo never dies and the veterans are a cool example of that. For me, I can't separate who I am from judo and I don't remember how my life was before I started practising.
I believe that having this event here is just a taste of what we could have in the upcoming years on American soil. It creates opportunities for everyone. With LA28 just over the horizon, it's a clear call for every judo lover. We want to bring more people to judo and to bring judo to more people. The more events we have like this, the more exposure we will get for the Games. The potential is massive."
Today Marti is working for LA28 in the marketing department and she is very involved with the PLAY LA programme which offers judo to children in the Los Angeles area. "In partnership with the IOC, we've been working on the programme for quite a while. I am amazed to see that more than 7,000 children have already had the chance to participate. For most of them, it was a first contact with judo. Watching all those children doing judo is breathtaking. They all come from low income backgrounds and judo can give them a chance."
With the Veterans, LA28 and the Play LA programme, all pieces are coming together, keeping Marti busy for the next four years. As she is passionate and in love with judo, she will have all the necessary will and energy to deliver a great experience to everyone.