There are activities and meetings that one would never want to go to. And others of which we regret the time restriction. This Saturday, for almost four hours, this happened to the almost 40 lovers of Cuban judo and its history. Outside of formalities and with gratitude for the invitation to share some ideas about communication, journalism and judo, it turned out to be a Saturday bathed in ippones and the future.
The History Commission of the Cuban Judo Federation. Photo: the author
The first impact was finding an atmosphere of love, of deep desire to rescue each of the faces, facts, anecdotes, medals and values transmitted by a sport introduced in our country by Andrés Kolychkine Thompson, in 1951, but that would not have taken the strength and roots without names like Luis and Federico Guardia, already deceased, but whom Federico’s wife represented this morning.
Yes, Margarita, who was over 90 years old and had eyes lit up with tears in every word she heard, accompanied us and perhaps her memory flew back to those founding years in which she supported the father of her children when almost no one knew about kimonos and tatami mats. And the more she looked at her she felt that she could very well be the Mother of Cuban judo.
But history is not cold memories or yellow photos, much less dusty investigations. That is why this morning we spoke in the present tense; about how much they are doing with the Shiro Siago community project, from Lisa, where from a yard full of garbage and debris came a Doho that has produced champions, although the most important thing is not even that, but the education of hundreds of children in the discipline , honesty and solidarity, values that this sport cultivates.
It was no less interesting to hear the passion and results of the Black Belt College in Matanzas, which since 2014 has been demonstrating that to do judo, learn techniques and honor one’s predecessors (whether or not they are medalists) all you need is will, creativity and desire. . Nor did he overlook the project of Guanajay Roberto Loza Canales, where since 2001 they have turned that municipality into a small Japan, through the practice and love of judo, extended to community actions of education and training of children and adolescents.
Saturday was contagious and not exactly to go into combat. He was contagious because he dared to propose a Hall of Fame for Cuban Judo (without fear, as other disciplines have forgotten or fear); establish Cuban Judo Day; enter the world of social networks with intelligence to expose and defend our past and present; create alliances to print new publications on the topic; as well as dusting off and adding all the judokas, wherever they are, as long as they want to found love from a martial art that was the fourth sport with an Olympic champion for Cuba, behind fencing, boxing and athletics.
As if the review were not ending, that same first monarch of Montreal 1976, Héctor Rodríguez, for almost everyone “Coquito”, surprised us with a call via WhatsApp. And could anyone say that it wasn’t a luxury Saturday? Almost before the final photo, Iván Silva, captain of our men’s team, and 2018 world runner-up, asked to speak and an early closing was allowed.
«I am here because I see that you do not want to let die a past that inspired Andy Granda (also present) and me to enter a tatami. If only for that, count on us. And then I wrote on my phone: I hope we clone Saturdays like this! Long live our judo! May so much history never die!
Master in Communication Sciences. Deputy Editorial Director of the Workers Newspaper since 2019. Editor-in-chief of the Sports Editorial since 2007. He has participated in journalistic coverage of the Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan American Games, Olympic Games, Intercontinental Baseball Cup, World Baseball Classic, World Baseball Championships. Judo, among others. Professor at the José Martí International Institute of Journalism, in Havana, Cuba.
2023-09-10 07:56:30
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