By Deogratias Mmana:
Japanese Ambassador to Malawi Yoichi Oya has called on more youths, especially girls, to participate in Judo because it offers techniques for self-defence and resilience.
Oya said this on Saturday during the eighth Japanese Ambassador’s Judo championship in Lilongwe, where winners were decorated with medals.
He said he was happy to see that female participation in the championship had improved.
“It is more pleasing to note that more females are joining the sport and, therefore, improving their self-defence skills in this age when the girl-child is prone to many attacks,” Oya said.
He also encouraged the youth to utilise the key philosophy of Judo, which is “soft and fair goes far”, which means that athletes capitalise on flexibility and mental alertness to compensate for any weakness to defeat even physically strong opponents.
He said since the launch of Judo in the country in 2014, it has become competitive and opened windows for Malawi to participate in activities at international level.
Malawi participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and will do so in the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers and the Continental African Open in Abidjan.
Minister of Youth and Sports Uchizi Mkandawire commended the Japanese government for contributing to the country’s sports development.
“The ambassador’s championship is in line with the government’s 2063 agenda of sports development. We convey our profound gratitude to the Japanese Embassy for this development,” Mkandawire said.
Judo Association of Malawi Treasurer General Chikumbutso Kansomba asked for a coach from Japan to prepare the judokas for the Olympic competition.
He also asked for support for the construction of a Judo Dojo.
The teams that participated in the championship included Dzaleka, Central High School, St Patricks High School and Kamuzu Institute.
