Panamericana Judo Unión de 2007 Activity Report

The year 2007 was an important year, with two major events taking place in America: The XV Pan American Games, in July, and the XXV World Senior Championships, 13-16 September. Both events took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Activities for 2007 began in early February (10-11 Feb) when we held the PJU’s Directors Meeting in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. A long agenda was discussed and activities for 2007 were laid out. The Pan American Judo Union directors were welcomed by Mr. Jeris Miller, II, president of the Cayman Islands Judo Federation and a member of the Caymans Olympic Committee.

The South American Juvenile and Junior Championships were held in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador from 8-12 March. Judokas from Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, and Chile took part in the event. The Ecuadorian Judo Federation organized and hosted the event.

Over the same weekend, 10 March, in New York City, the New York Athletic Club hosted the 24^th Annual New York Open Judo Tournament.  This tourney, the most competitive international event in America, attracted the best athletes and teams from 27 countries to the Big Apple.

From 12-16 March, the X Trans-Andean Youth Games were held in Rioja, Argentina. These now traditional games held competitions in Kata, team and individual categories. Judokas from Bolivia, Chile, Peru and the host country took part in these games. The provincial government of Rioja, Argentina hosted the games, and Professor Ovidio Garnero and the Argentine Judo Federation, headed by Oscar Cassineri provided the excellent organization and necessary sanction for the regional event.

From 12-16 April, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was the host city for the Pan American Juvenile and Junior Tournament. Competitions were held in Kata, team and individual categories. There were 21 nations represented at the tournament and a record number of competitors were hosted by Alquimedes Ortiz Cruz, president of the Dominican Judo Federation.

Guatemala City was the site of the Central American Senior Championships from 18-22 April. The Guatemalan National Judo Federation, headed by Dr. Roger Monroy, was the tournament host, and the Central American Judo Confederation was the sanctioning body for the competition. Mr. Guillermo Sanchez is the newly-elected president of the CAJC. This regional event saw judokas from El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica in the different events.

The Cuban Judo Federation renewed its well known Jose Ramon Rodriguez and Golden Judogi Tournaments during late April (24-27 April). The tournaments, an important part of pan-American and world judo development, were held in Havana. During the competition, teams from the Dominican Republic, the United States, Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico and other nations took part. The well organized tournament was directed by Gustavo Diez, the president of the Cuban Judo Federation and his staff of technicians. A day later, 28 April, the CJF also celebrated the Caribbean Senior Judo Tournament. Ernest Laraque, as head of the Caribbean Judo Confederation, was pleased to sanction the competition. Mr. Ernest Laraque is also the PJU vice-president for the Caribbean.

The Brazilian Judo Confederation hosted the World Cup in Belo Horizonte the 6 and 7 May. Several continents and many countries attended the event, a major success in its organization and level of competition.

The Venezuelan Judo Federation took part in the II ALBA games with an international judo symposium held at the headquarters of the Venezuelan Olympic Committee. Speakers included national and international figures, such as Jaime Casanova, the PJU president, who offered a talk on “The contributions of the Pan American Judo Union to the Development of Judo in America.” Several Cuban technicians commented on the development of the Cuban Women’s Team, ranked among the very best in the world, under the guidance of renowned trainer Rolando Veitia.

The judo competition section of the II Games of the Bolivian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) was held at the National Judo Center in Caracas, Venezuela on 10-13 May. Sixteen nations from all of the Americas attended and the competition was of a high level. Antonio Zavarella and the Venezuelan Judo Federation acted as hosts for the tournament and the seminar.

From 22-27 May, the city of Montreal, Canada was host to the Pan American Senior Championships.  As usual, the event featured competition in Kata, team and individual categories. Serge Piquette, president of the Canadian Federation, and his team of experts organized the event which served as classificatory for the Pan American Games Rio 2007. The tournament was also part of the classification process for the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. Added to all of this, the Senior Championships kicked off the Fourteenth Edition of the Pan American Senior Circuit.

Finally, the weekend was also the scenario for the celebration of the Pan American Sports Hall of Fame, and several deserving personalities were inducted into the hall.

The South American Senior Championships were held in Bucaramanga, Colombia from 30 May to 5 June, organized by the Colombian Judo Federation and sanctioned by the South American Judo Confederation.

The XIV Pan American Senior Circuit held its second event in San Salvador, El Salvador. The men competed in the Juan Carlos Vargas Cup and the women competed in the Yadira Ramos Cup. Athletes from the United States, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador participated. Mr. Frank Fullerton and Mr. Carlos Diaz, the PJU Sports Director and Chief Referee, represented our organization at the tournament.

The third phase of the Senior Circuit was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 14-18 June. A special feature of the event was the tie-breaker competition for judokas trying to classify for the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. This tournament-within-a-tournament allowed the Executive Committee to complete the invitations for the games of Rio 2007. On 16 June, the competition of the Senior Circuit was held, and judokas from Argentina, Canada, the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti, Cuba, Netherlands Antilles, Uruguay and Chile participated in an excellent tournament.

The following day, 17 June, the Dominican National Judo House was the scene for the traditional Central American and Caribbean Championships, now in their thirteenth edition. Because athletes were continuing their preparation for the Pan American Games, the competition was of a high level.

The beautiful island of Margarita, off the coast of Venezuela, was the host site for the fourth round of judo competition within the XIV Senior Circuit. Here the prize was the Simon Bolivar Cup, and the judokas responded with an intense competition. Canada, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Cuba and Argentina, among others, sent high category judokas to the tournament. Arrangements for the tournament were made by the Venezuelan Judo Federation headed by Antonio Zavarella.

From 30 June to 9 July, PJU president Jaime Casanova visited several of the Leeward and Windward islands of the Caribbean, distributing educational materiel, equipment and technical assistance to the various federations. This was the itinerary:

In several of these nations, Mr. Casanova was able to meet with National Olympic Committee presidents, especially Alphonse Clearwater of St. Kitts & Nevis, Rosanne Pringle of Dominica and Richard Peterkins of ST. Lucia. Mr. Casanova urged these leaders to strive to promote the development of Judo in their respective countries.

During the XV Pan American Games Rio 2007, the PJU was present at the general assembly of the San American Sports Organization (PASO) and we were also present at the Congress of the Association of Pan American Sports Confederations (PASCA). During the latter event, Jaime Casanova was elected to the vice-president’s post of PASCA.

Judo activities for the games began on 18 July with the Referee’s Clinic and the Technical Meeting and the Competitor’s Draw. Competition began on19 July.

Pan Am Rio 2007 was an excellent tournament on both the organizational and competitive levels, marred only by an unruly and abusive public that interrupted competition after a referee’s decision did not favor a Brazilian competitor.

Judo activities continued after the games with the well-known U.S. Open held on 28-30 July in Miami, Florida. This tournament, for infantile and juvenile and junior judokas from the Americas, was organized by Jerry Navarro and sanctioned by Judo USA, Dr. Ron Tripp, president.

In August, the scene was Mazatenango, Guatemala for the VII Central American Juvenile, Kata and Team Championships. Once again the Guatemalan Judo Federation hosted the event and Roger Monro and Fernando Caceres headed the organizational team that put on a fine tournament.

Once this tournament was over, the site was used for the celebration of the CODICADER Scholastic Games for Central American Schoolchildren. This even was wholeheartedly supported by the Guatemalan Federation and the Pan American Judo Union.

In late August (23-27 August) the Dominican Judo Federation, Alquimedes Ortiz, president, hosted the XI International Infantile, Juvenile and Junior Circuit. At the same time, the dojo was also the scene for the Central American and Caribbean Championships in the same age brackets. Lastly, the Caribbean Confederation was able to hold its III Infantile Championships at the same venue.

The month of September was especially important for the PJU since the resignations of Mr. Y.S. Park as IJF president, and the swearing-in of Mr. Marius Vizer as the new president also accompanied the defeat of Mr. Serge Piquette who campaigned for the post of Secretary General of the IJF and the forced withdrawal of Mr. Edgar Claure from his campaign for the treasurer’s post.  All of these events took place during the Ordinary Congress of the IJF on 10 September. The new IJF executive board also rejected the decisions taken by the PJU during Ordinary Congress of November 2006 in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

The XXV World Championships were particularly fortunate for the Pan American Judo Union whose athletes conquered five (5) gold medals, three (3) silver medals, and two (2) bronze medals. This medal harvest was the result of the work done by judokas from Cuba, Brazil and the United States. The XXV World Championships used the same venue as the Pan American Games, and proved the Pan American Judo Union to be the most successful of the continental associations in the Olympic categories.

The South American Infantile Championships were held in Viña del Mar, Chile from 4-8 September and seven nations were present for the events sanctioned by the Chilean Judo Federations headed by Rigoberto Saez.

Gwinnet, Georgia, USA, was the venue of the U.S. Open, organized by Judo USA and directed by Jose Humberto Rodriguez. Several PJU officers, including Mr. Casanova, Mr. Fullerton and Mr. Diaz were invited by Judo USA to attend this important official PJU event.

The Pan American Judo Union received an invitation from the Kodokan to participate in the I International Kata Tournament. The PJU representatives successfully classified for a podium position. Professor Jose Gerardo Serna Noreña acted as one of the judges of the Kata Competition.

The Peruvian Judo Federation and its president, Mr. Javier Solis, hosted the III Jita Kyoei Cup Championships the 1-4 November. Teams from the United States, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Ecuador and others took part. The tournament was well organized thanks to the fine efforts of  Raul Villanueva and Manuel Villa-Garcia.

The judo world shifted to Beijing, China from 11-19 November. Beijing is the site of the XXIX Olympic Summer Games in 2008. The International Judo Federation celebrated seminars on refereeing and sports development. The IJF also held the Test Event for technicians and referees and the New Team Championships. In these championships, teams from Cuba and Brazil placed second. The Brazilian Men’s Team was actually tied in the Team Event and was awarded second place based on points. The Cuban women maintained their world class position.

After a long wait for the Colombian Judo Federation to find a venue that would satisfy the PJU requirements, the CJF decided on Santiago de Cali, Colombia as the site for the VII Pan American Infantile Judo Championships. Unfortunately, only eleven (11) nations showed up for the competition, well below the 21-nation average of previous tournaments.

The championships, held from 24-29 November, were marred by poor organization, exacerbated by the use of non-conforming tatamis, and even a lack of electrical extensions to facilitate the use of the instant replay video system. The physical plant was not up to the demands of such an important event, and this made things worse.

The Southern Cone Competition took place in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, and there athletes from Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina joined the Paraguay judokas in the 1 December tournament. The event was organized by the Paraguayan Judo Federation under the leadership of Mr. Francisco Brinstill. Your PJU was represented by Mr. Edgar Claure.

In the Bahama Islands, judo is taking off, and last 2 December, the Bahamian Judo Federation celebrated the Milo Judo Classic. This tournament attracted 250 judo players, the largest competition ever held in the Bahamas. The tournament was organized by BJF president DÁrcy Rahaming.

The Barbados Judo Federation, with president Hoskin Caddle at the helm, put on the VII Independence International Judo Tournament.. Competitors came from Martinique, Barbados, Bahamas, Surinam, Great Britain and France. Both the venue and the organization of the tournament were outstanding.

Major events for 2008

The New Year, 2008, has many important events on the calendar, especially three Olympic qualification events, one each in Venezuela, the United States and Argentina. Most importantly, the Senior Pan American Championships will serve as part of the Olympic qualifying process and the Pan American judokas will get up on the tatamis with their minds set on Judo’s world venue, the Beijing Olympics. Judo competition at the Olympics will be from 9-15 August.

On 7-10 April, Buenos Aires will host the Pan American Juvenile Championships and a sizable participation from the Americas is expected for this important event.

The Pan American Infantile Championships will move to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2008, and a return to the previous large turnout is expected after the sorry events of Cali, Colombia, where even internal PJU politics affected the tournament.

Some thoughts on 2008

Previous to the General Meeting of the International Judo Federation held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil some members of the PJU went about trying to repeal the unanimous resolutions that were voted on during the 2006 General Assembly of the Pan American Judo Union in Maracaibo. Specifically, we are referring to the following:

1. The affiliation of the Panamanian Judo Federation headed by Mr. Miguel Venegas.

2. The powers granted to the Executive Board to impose sanctions on Mr. Jorge Armado of Puerto Rico.

Presidents of  PJU federations that were not in agreement with the current PJU executive board, particularly those from Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Mexico, illegally introduced these issues into the open debate of the IJF, and obtained an equally illegal verdict contrary to the unanimous decisions taken by the PJU General Assembly in 2006.These decisions by the IJF have been appealed to the Court of Arbitration by the Venezuelan and Panamanian federations, and this court will hand down the definitive decision on these issues that violate the independence of continental associations such as the PJU which is both independent of outside interference and respectful of democratic decisions taken by its general assembly.

Given this scenario, the Executive Board has suggested the celebration of an Extraordinary Congress of the Pan American Judo Union to deal with these issues and restore the harmony that has always characterized our association.

With is in mind we want to express our most sincere promise to seek this harmony within the PJU, and we promise to work diligently towards this end.

Finally, our best wishes for the Holiday Season and a Happy New Year 2008.

Sincerely,

Jaime Casanova M.
President
Panamerican Judo Union

Santo Domingo.
Dominican Republic.

December 30th, 2007.

COMISIÓN DE MEDIOS