On 17th May (https://www.ijf.org/news/show/the-place-to-be), we announced that Fiesch would be 'The Place to Be' and since yesterday this is indeed the case. Once again, this edition of the camp attracts crowds. It must be said that for the young participants Fiesch has become an unmissable event on the calendar to prepare for the major upcoming events (i.e. continental and world championships), but also to discover, for many of them, the very high level, surrounded by some of the best coaches on the planet.
Since the launch of the programme, the International Judo Federation has been associated with Olympic Solidarity and the organisers of the camp, in order to open access to an even greater number of judoka. In 2023 13 countries have therefore been helped with support for a female and a male judoka, accompanied by a coach, in respect of gender equality, for each of those nations; this dimension being an important aspect of the Sergei Judo Camp.
For the first time, this year a sustainability workshop was held. Larisa Kiss, the IJF Head of International Relations, who was present in Fiesch for the opening of the camp, explained, "It was the first IJF Sustainability Workshop for educating the judo youth about the realities of climate change but also exchanging ideas about possible ways to be more active and efficient, as an individual or as a group, in order to protect nature and the environment.
The setting could not have been better, among the majestic Swiss mountains and in the presence of countries which are already suffering from the irreversible effects of climate change, like Nauru.
The young judoka proved to be well informed but also learned new facts and had the opportunity to discuss sustainability issues like food waste, transportation, greenhouse gases, the Paris Agreement and the IJF Climate Ambassadors."
For several years, the IJF has been strongly involved in the preservation of the environment and contributes in its own way to informing young people about the need to save our planet from the dangers that threaten it.
The Sergei Judo Camp, initiated by Sergei Aschwanden, Olympic medallist and now President of the Swiss Judo Federation, is therefore the ideal occasion for young judoka. "This 8th edition is important. Step by step we have the feeling that we are going where we wanted to go. Taking care of the young generation, we are building the future of judo," explained Sergei Aschwanden recently.
There is no doubt that the hours spent on the tatami, as well as all those devoted to education, in the broadest sense of the term, in the enchanting setting of the Swiss Alps, will contribute to the emancipation of a generation of champions who will one day be great judoka and also responsible citizens.