On 24th November 2018, the Embassy of Japan in Zambia co-hosted the 30th Japanese Ambassador’s Judo Tournament with the Zambia Judo Association at the Olympic Youth Development Center (OYDC). About 200 male and female Judokas participated in male and female individual competitions by age, for 8 championships, and gender and age mixed team competitions for the group championship, demonstrating the achievements of their practices.
Ms. Bessie Chelemu, Director of Sport, Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development, Mr. Hidenobu Sobashima, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Zambia, and Mr. Alfred Foloko, President of the Zambia Judo Association, addressed the gathering before the finals. The winners received their awards. The results in this tournament are so significant as to affect the selection for the national team.
The Embassy hosted a reception at the Ambassador’s Residence inviting the people related to Judo, among others. At the reception, the Embassy introduced a selection of Japanese Sake, among other food and drink items, for the attendants to deepen their understanding of Japanese culture.
Judo is becoming more and more popular in Zambia. It is hoped that the yearly Japanese Ambassador’s Judo Tournament will help further development of Judo in Zambia, and that Zambian Judokas participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will compete for medals and achieve good results.
To read the speech by Ambassador Sobashima, please click here.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of Japan in Zambia.
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