Luciano Lovato Would Have Turned 80 Years Old Today

“Non c’è problema, combiniamo” — no problem, we’ll sort it out. Alpe Adria Judo opened its tribute to Luciano Lovato with the phrase that defined him, the answer he gave whenever the Yama Arashi Udine judo club faced a problem. The tribute marks what would have been Lovato’s 80th birthday, 11 years after his death.

Lovato, a father of two children who trained at Yama Arashi Udine, took over the leadership of the club in September 1981 and led it for 34 years, according to the tribute. Under his leadership the club grew to hold the highest number of registered members of any judo club in Italy and launched events including the Judo Winter Camp and the Trofeo Alpe Adria.

The summer of 1981, when the club nearly shut its doors

The tribute describes the moment that turned Lovato from parent into leader. In the summer of 1981, the club’s directors decided not to resume activities in September. Lovato, the tribute says, thought “non c’è problema, si combina” and contacted parents and athletes one by one. The club reopened that September, and Lovato never left his leadership role.

It was a decision made without weighing the cost, the tribute says. Lovato chose with what it calls the ethics of common sense, and his instinct was “si fa e basta” — you just do it.

Thirty-four years building men, not just athletes

From that September in 1981, Lovato guided Yama Arashi Udine continuously for 34 years, growing what the tribute calls men through friendship and sharing, and giving courage and serenity to anyone who crossed his path. To many in the club and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, he was president, friend, bodyguard and motivator — “una sorta di pozione magica,” a kind of magic potion.

The tribute is candid about his flaws: “Luciano non era perfetto, anzi” — Luciano was not perfect, far from it. But he was morally powerful, the tribute says, and he treated every problem as a challenge to win.

Lovato organizes major judo events

Lovato’s problem-solving extended beyond the club’s walls. He started the organization of the Judo Winter Camp and the Trofeo Alpe Adria, events that the tribute says became among the most brilliant and appreciated in the sport, growing year after year. His record, in the tribute’s telling, was simple: with Luciano Lovato there was never a problem; things always got sorted.

The 20 percent that makes the difference

The tribute quotes his philosophy directly: “Tutti sono capaci di fare l’80%, ma è il 20% che fa la differenza” — everyone is capable of doing the 80 percent, but it is the 20 percent that makes the difference. Paired with it was another of his sayings: “Tempo che tu hai finito di lamentarti io ho già fatto” — by the time you have finished complaining, I have already done it.

The club says it feels a strong need, as individuals and as a club, to invest in that “just do it” attitude. Every time members needed him, the tribute says, his answer was the same: “Non c’è problema, combiniamo.” And it was not a figure of speech but a way of thinking and being.

Questions readers ask about Luciano Lovato and Yama Arashi Udine

When did Luciano Lovato take over the leadership of Yama Arashi Udine? He took over in September 1981, after personally contacting parents and athletes to restart a club whose directors had decided to close it that summer, according to the tribute.

How long did he lead the club? The tribute says he guided Yama Arashi Udine without interruption for 34 years, beginning in September 1981.

What events did he create? He launched the Judo Winter Camp and the Trofeo Alpe Adria, which the tribute describes as among the most appreciated events in judo.

What was his most famous phrase? “Non c’è problema, combiniamo” — no problem, we’ll sort it out — the response he gave every time the club needed him.

The tribute closes by marking the anniversary of a man who, 11 years after his death, still shapes how Yama Arashi Udine operates: a club that, in his words, never had a problem because things always got sorted.