For several days, the first World Champion in the history of French judo, having taken part in two Olympic Games as an athlete and also president of the French Judo Federation, took part in the SportAccord meetings during which he represented the IJF. As he was getting ready for the return flight, he was able to barter the suit and tie against the judogi to participate in a judo session with young Australian judokas from the Ohori Judo Club.
“It was a great pleasure for me to be on the tatami. I love when I can put on the judogi to feel the sensations of the dojo. It is an immense source of joy to be able to share my passion for our sport with all the judokas and the youngest ones in particular. I also found that the judokas had a really good technical level. It was a very lively session, with joy and that made me really happy”, said Jean-Luc Rougé at the end of the evening.
The local judo officials were delighted with this impromptu visit: “Tonight we were so lucky to have Jean-Luc Rouge, Secretary of the IJF and 9th Dan. Jean-Luc competed at two Olympics, held a world title and three European titles. He was in his last-minute training session at Ohori, only hours before he flew back to France, his first time coaching in Australia. Please come back soon!”
Source: www.ijf.org
