A gym full of adrenaline, shouts of encouragement for the athletes and a lot of emotion in the atmosphere, was the gift of the Aragüeños on the occasion of the return of judo to national competitions; This was the panorama left on Friday at the Rafael Romero Gymnasium, known as the Limón Coliseum, in the city of Maracay.
The reason for this sports festival was due to the celebration of the National Judo Championship, for children in categories A and B, which was held on Friday the 20th and Saturday the 21st of this month.
The event had the participation of 19 states and more than 523 athletes between the ages 11 and 12 that make up category A and 13 and 14 category B. This was reported by William Rodríguez, coordinator of coaches of this specialty in the state.
Rodríguez explained that part of the logistics of the event was supported by the Regional Sports Institute of Aragua (IRDA), thanks to the support of its president Luis Salinas. “This event has been an arduous effort on the part of the entire Judo team in Aragua, for this reason we baptized this competition as the Dr. Karina Carpio Championship, in gratitude for the support that our governor has given to the sport,” said Rodríguez.
The leader made reference to the fact that the entire country is in Aragua betting on its combatants, except for the states of Portuguesa, Monagas, Trujillo and Barinas.
The interviewee stressed that the athletes who are winners in this competition will have a guaranteed spot for the Pan American Championship, which will be held in the Dominican Republic and that its date has yet to be defined.
Added the coach, who this Saturday continued the action with the clashes in the children’s category B.
“We are aware of the commitment we assumed with the organization of this event, more than 200 fights are scheduled; however, here we are giving the best of ourselves, with the referees, the logistics and the support to all the athletes and delegates of the country, so that they see the importance that judo has in our region”, Rodríguez pointed out.
FEDERATION PRESENT IN ARAGUA
The president of the Venezuelan Judo Federation, Katiuska Santaella, pointed out that this event is the first of the year, since work has been stopped for the last two years due to the pandemic; however, it is very exciting to see the response that this call has had and the encouragement that the children have to attend this competition.
“We have never had so many children in a competition, and for this reason we feel happy and the work that is being done in each region and in each gym is reflected,” explained Santaella.
In the month of July we will have the national cadet and junior championship, which is the future of our discipline, in the same way, we have been working since the beginning of the year to form the national team that will represent us in the Bolivarian Games, which will be played at the end of the year. of the month of July in Valledupar Colombia.
Another reason for celebration for Judo in the country is due to the seat that Katiuska Santaella will have in the Olympic Committee, where she will have the responsibility of exercising the position of General Secretary, in the new directive of the Olympic entity. “Thanks to the work that we have developed, we were able to count on the necessary support to reach the Olympic Committee from where we will continue working to promote changes in sports policies in the country,” said Santaella.
IRDA HAND IN HAND WITH JUDO
For his part, the president of the governing body of sports in Aragua, Luís Salinas, stressed that he has been following the national guidelines to promote sports in the region, as well as the guidance of Dr. Karina Carpio, who wishes to consolidate the sport in the state.
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“Today we are opening the spaces to the different sports disciplines, we are attending a national judo championship with the participation of 19 states, this excites us and commits us to continue offering athletes the chance to show their talent and stand out at the national level” Salinas explained.
For the leader, his philosophy for sport is to allow the people to access these spaces and to show their talents to the sports world. Today we are witnessing the result of the efforts of these young people who give their best every day in their gyms. and they show it in this national competition.
MAURICIO BOLIVAR | exit
photo | JHONNY GARCIA (intern)
