This February, the BJKIJT saw the participation of national cadet judo teams from several South Asian judo federations, including Bangladesh, India and Nepal along with Bhutanese judoka. The competition was preceded by a high-level training camp conducted by visiting sensei from Japan together with eight Japanese university judoka.
The camp focused on both ne-waza and tachi-waza in connection with competition. All the judo classes were concluded with intensive randori sessions. Over three days, the training had a tremendous impact on the skill level of all the participants. In addition a seminar on jita-kyoei about the values of judo was conducted by professor Yamasaki, while sensei Noriko Tarutani conducted a seminar on IJF refereeing matters, sensei Akitashi Sogabe led a session on injury rehabilitation and sensei Kaya conducted a seminar on coaching.
The 4th day was the big day for everyone as it was the competition day for individuals followed immediately by a mixed team tournament. The latter was made possible through a lucky-dip system so that each team had players from the four participating countries and one Japanese university student as a coach. It was an excellent way for the participants to bond and collaborate despite the language barrier and the cultural differences.
Thanks to the support of Sabrina Filzmoser, head of the IJF Athletes' Commission and Climate Ambassador, three athletes from Everest Judo Club were present. They did very well.
The tournament was conducted at a high standard. The BJA recruited the services of Suprasiddha Tamrakar, an IJF-certified tournament manager from the Nepal Judo Association and his two colleagues, Rajbhai Suddhakar and Dipak Shrestha, to help conduct the tournament professionally.
All the important aspects of IJF tournaments from the electronic draw, the accreditation, weigh-in procedures, judogi-control, digital displays of the scores and video review were put in place. The president of the Nepal Judo Association was kind enough to allow the BJA to borrow some of the technical equipment for the event while the BJA provided the rest. In the near future, the BJA will deliver all the equipment and train their own officials to conduct the tournaments in-house. The event is meant to take place every year with the goal of taking South Asian judo to the next level.
IJF President, Marius Vizer, said, "Congratulations to the Bhutan Judo Association on the auspicious occasion of the second Jita Kyoei Judo Tournament. Seeing you gather participants from across the region for this remarkable event, I extend my warmest congratulations for the success and harmony on the tatami. Your dedication to fostering mutual welfare and benefit through judo exemplifies the true spirit of jita kyoei. May this tournament serve as a platform for friendship, skill enhancement and cultural exchange, further strengthening the bonds of camaraderie among judoka from diverse backgrounds, under the guidance of the Kodokan Institute."
After the 2024 success, the federation hopes that next year the participation will be even stronger!