Supported by the International Judo Federation, Olympic Solidarity, the Swiss Judo Federation as well as a few private sponsors, the Sergei Judo Camp welcomes the rising generation of champions in order to offer them the best possible training conditions and above all to give them the foundations for a successful sports career.
Once again, the Sergei Judo Camp attracted crowds, since 350 participants from five continents were found on the tatami daily from 28th July to 3rd August.
List of participating countries: Germany, Belgium, Bolivia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, South Korea, Costa Rica, Czechia, Estonia, USA, Malawi, France, Monaco, Georgia, Netherlands, Honduras, Republic of Moldova, Hungary, Romania, Iceland, São Tomé and Principe, India, Jordan, Slovakia, Slovenia, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Luxemburg, Vietnam.
Every morning, participants were able to benefit from the expertise of Sergei Aschwanden and Hiroshi Katanishi during intense technical sessions, followed by randori.
"The idea of such a gathering is really the technical development of the participants with practical application during the randori. This year, it seemed important to us to work on the fundamentals because we could see during the Olympic Games that athletes with impeccable technique were those who were successful. We could see that classical judo with solid fundamentals is a guarantee to be successful at the top level," said Sergei.
During the week of training, the atmosphere was jovial and enhanced by fruitful exchanges related to very different cultures. With the coincidence of the Olympic Games, the event was at the heart of many discussions. "We installed a television and everyone gathered around the screen to watch the contests and of course depending on where the athletes came from, the atmosphere varied," explained Sergei.
This camp is essential for the development of the next generation of athletes so that they have an opportunity to see that judo is a universal sport and in constant development. This edition was once again a success that will nourish a new generation of champions that we will soon see emerge.
Photos: Sebastien Maflin