The presence of Master Abe in Belgium has also allowed the judoka of our country to evolve rapidly and to distinguish themselves at the international level. “He did an amazing job”insists Bernard Tambour.
“If he hadn’t come to us, I don’t think we would have the technical level and the quality of judo that we have.. Through his skills, there are talents that have developed in our country. We observe a relatively technical judo here in Belgium and when we talk about judo techniques at home, we are talking about Master Abe’s techniques.”
Returned to Japan in 1969 to hold high positions in Japanese, Asian and world judo (Director of the international department of the Kodokan, Secretary General of the Asian Judo Union, President of the Japanese Federation, etc.), Ichiro Abe has always kept Belgium in the back of his mind. He came back to it from time to time and thought about it until the end.
“His daughter sent us a letter. Until the last moment, Master Abe always had the photos of Belgium in front of him. He watched them constantly. It is a great honor for our country“, proudly explains Bernard Tambour, moved but aware that the teachings of Master Abe will not be lost.
