The Secretary General of the International Judo Federation (IFJ), Lisa Allan, announced in a letter addressed on November 12 to the President of the Congolese Federation of Judo and Associated Disciplines (Fécoju-Da), Me Neyl Francis Ata Asiokarah, the “ lifting of the suspension of Fécoju-Da”.
“I am writing to inform you that the suspension of the Congolese Federation of Judo and associated disciplines has now been lifted,” explains the document. This decision, awaited for several years, was received with great satisfaction by those involved in Congolese judo. Everyone, according to their rank and prerogatives within the federation, expressed their desire to now see this martial art expressed freely on the international level. By lifting this sanction, the Congolese flag will once again be visible during various continental and international competitions.
“We are very happy to receive the note of the lifting of the suspension of the Congolese Federation of Judo and associated disciplines. I take this opportunity to invite all judokas from within and those outside the country to join us so that we align around judo which is our common good. Let everyone continue to work harder because the lifting of this sanction requires us to do better. Thank you to the Congolese authorities as well as those responsible for the bodies which manage judo on the continental and international level. We need everyone’s support,” said Me Neyl Francis Ata Asiokarah, president of the federation.
The same day, he also received the base code of the federation, since the latter was reintegrated into the IFJ system. To inaugurate this good news, the national teams (cadets, juniors and seniors) will participate, from the 21st to the 24th of the current month, in Senegal, in the African Cup of Nations.
Established following the conflicts and incomprehension which have undermined this federation in recent years, this sanction paralyzed Congolese judo during the past Olympiad. Four years during which Fecoju-Da was marked by structural two-headedness and internal quarrels.
May this lifting of sanctions also raise the level of Congolese judo which has fallen far behind in almost all areas.
