Judo has held a special place in the hearts of Schaerbeek residents for years. The link between this sport and Schaerbeek is not new. For more than 50 years now, this sport has enjoyed a solid foothold in the municipality of Schaerbeek, within the Judo Royal Crossing Club Schaerbeek. After decades, thousands of young people have been able to tread the tatami mats of this club which can count on a sizeable ambassador: European champion Tomas Nikiforov.
On January 14 and 15, the club welcomes a high-level delegation of great Japanese judo masters to its Helmet dojo. The delegation led by Mr. Toriumi Matagoro (8th dan and president of the Tokyo Judo Federation) and made up of former champions of the discipline met the young judokas and coaches of the Schaerbeek club on site. During two days of seminars, they share their knowledge with a view to improving the skills of young people from Brussels and perfecting the coaching skills of Crossing coaches.
Learn from them
“The Japanese have other approaches to this sport which will be very enriching for our members and our coaches”, estimates Alain De Greef, the president of Judo Crossing. “Japan is a country apart in the world of judo. This is the cradle of our sport and their approach is undoubtedly more rigorous than what we are used to encountering in Europe. »
Thomas Eraly, alderman for Sports in Schaerbeek, believes that the town “benefits from a very dynamic network of martial arts clubs. The alderman adds that “after the COVID crisis which has particularly impacted all contact sports, Schaerbeek still enthusiastically supports the positive initiatives of a real institution such as Judo Crossing whose quality of work is widely recognized. . »
This meeting is also part of the excellent relations that the Brussels-Capital Region maintains with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
