Japanese judo coach Go Tsunoda feels stateless in Russia

Japanese judo coach Go Tsunoda won an Olympic bronze medal with Telma Monteiro as coach of the Portuguese team. He is father of double Junior World Champion and Paris GS winner Ai Tsunoda Roustant. He has been giving lots of technique clinics. Tsunoda is currently coach of the Russian Women's National Judo Team and lived in Europe for over 25 years despite his Japanese nationality, but now he feels stateless, working in Russia.

Tsunoda: “I feel like I am stateless, wandering around here and there. The Russian athletes have been banned from participating in international competitions for more than a year, but they continue to train hard twice a day, starting with stretching in the morning. In the beginning, I told them to focus on each day, but now I can't find the words to say anything to them. Not only the national team, but also juniors and cadets cannot participate in international competitions.

They are in a very uncomfortable situation but in spite of all, they care a lot about me, and try to make feel as comfortable as they can.

My duty is to put on a judogi, step onto the tatami and do what I can at that time. If it's difficult for me to throw and share information, then I get thrown and share information.

In judo, we say "Please, let's do together" and bow to our opponent, even if after we get thrown on the head, or if we get strangled and about to faint. If we were to do those things outside the dojo, we would be arrested immediately. People would cry, get angry, ask for help, complain and that would be normal. Of course nobody would ever say "Thank you very much" afterwards, like we judokas do. We do a very special sport in a very special place.

In judo, we win and lose to each other, we are both tough and we both have weaknesses, and we both acknowledge that things don't always go as we want.

We are strong, but we know we are not perfect, and I believe that empathy between judokas who live their daily lives in a desire to be a little stronger today than yesterday is a wonderful thing.

Mutual prosperity is something that anyone who practices judo knows.

I hope we can share the mats all together again soon.

I believe that it is precisely because of judo, that I can convey this to the world.

Each person has its own duty, this is mine.”