The highly anticipated 2023 Canada Winter Games are just two weeks away, and judo fans are in for a treat! The games, which will take place in Prince Edward Island from February 19 to March 3, will feature some of the best young athletes from across Canada competing in a variety of winter sports, including judo.
Judo is a martial art that emphasizes grappling and throwing techniques to take down opponents. At the 2023 Canada Winter Games, you’ll have the chance to watch some of the most talented young judokas from across the country showcase their skills and compete for gold.
The judo competition at the games will take place from March 1 to March 4, with both male and female athletes competing in various weight categories. The competition will be held at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown, where spectators can cheer on their favorite athletes and witness the intensity of the sport. Streaming and broadcasting schedules can be found here.
If you’re a fan of judo, this is a fantastic opportunity to see some of the most promising young athletes in the country compete at the highest level. Not only will you get to see some great matches, but you’ll also get a chance to experience the excitement and energy of the Canada Winter Games.
So mark your calendars and get ready for some incredible judo action at the 2023 Canada Winter Games!
Weigh-In Site Map (only for U14 & older and Ne Waza. U10/U12 check in at t-shirt table at the Ice Palace) DO NOT attend unofficial/official weigh in until your designated time in the Technical Package.
U16 & Seniors – Check-in for Sunday division is required on Saturday within 30 minutes of the last match of the day or before. Athlete, coach or another designate can confirm at Joseki. IF NOT CHECKED IN BY THIS TIME, SUNDAY’S REGISTRATION WILL BE REMOVED WITH NO REFUND.
NEW this year – Novice divisions for U16 & older
Westjet are able to offer 5% off Econo* and 10% off EconoFlex and Premium fares for travel within Canada and 2% off Econo*, 5% off EconoFlex and 10% off Premium base fares for guests travelling Trans-border.
Late registrations ends February 28, 2023 @ 23:59 MST.
COACH – Registration is MANDATORY until March 4, 2023 MST. Register before February 15, 2023 to receive a tournament t-shirt. NO REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER MARCH 4, 2023.
REFEREE – register before February 18, 2023 @ 23:59 MST for a gift. Registrations open until March 4, 2023 @ 23:59 MST.
Eligibility
Open to all members of Judo Provincial/Territorial Associations and IJF Associations of other countries.
Minimum rank is YELLOW.
All participants must provide proof of current affiliation at weigh in.
U16 & older MUST provide photo ID at weigh in.
Foreign participants must email a copy of their current judo membership & a letter of affiliation from their country’s judo organization to registrar@edmontonjudo.com.
The Judo Alberta Grading Board is pleased to announce that Gordon Okamura (National Kata Coach) will be leading a series of kata clinics for participants to sample various kata for interest. Key points and principles will be covered in each kata but the entire kata may not necessarily be shown. Questions will be addressed and critique will be provided. Weapons will be provided. These sessions are open to all interested judoka!
Time: Saturday March 4 10 am – 1 pm Nage no Kata 1-2 pm – Lunch 2 pm – 5 pm Kodokan Goshin Jutsu Sunday March 5 9am – 12pm Katame no Kata 12 – 1 pm – Lunch 1 pm – 4 pm Kime no Kata
Location: Victoria Sports Park 350E 100N, Raymond, Alberta T0K2S0
Honorary Tournament Chairman: Mr. Paul Knoll Tournament Chairman: Mr. Garry Yamashita Tournament Director: Mr. George Tesanovic Chief Referee: Mr. Allan Sattin, IJF Continental Referee
Gradings for Provincial C, B, and A level Referees will be held at the tournament. Club Sensei should submit the names of candidates to Steven Norris (stevenorris69@gmail.com) by January 20, 2023. Candidates for Provincial C can put their own names forward.
Supported by volunteers from the Airdrie Judo Club, Hiro’s Judo Club, and Ishi Yama Institute of Judo
No phone entries. No registrations accepted at weigh-ins. No refunds. All information can be found here.
NOTE: Two new remote weigh-in sites have been approved for the Rocky Mountain Invitational Judo Tournament
In addition to weighing in at the Tokugawa Judo Club (Edmonton) and the Lethbridge Judo Club, competitors can now weigh-in at the following locations
Remote weigh-ins on February 3rd, Friday night 6:30-7:30pm 1) Aka Shika Judo Club – 87 Petrolia Drive, Red Deer 2) Barracuda Judo Club – in the Total Balance Health building, 1173B Hunter Street, Pincher Creek
This is open to all ages and skill levels! A fun and challenging class. 7:00PM to 8:30PM Female Provincial Team Session: This session is open to athletes competing on the national circuit with goals to compete at 2023 Nationals.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Alex Gagnon at alexgagnon57@gmail.com
The next Provincial Camp in Fort Saskatchewan is on Friday January 13 and Saturday on January 14, 2023. Life is about to get very busy – sign up today!
Division: U14, U16, U18, U21, seniors, veterans
Address for training camp: Tolide Judo Kwai Dow Centennial Centre, 84 St. & 87 Ave. Fort Saskatchewan
Friday January 13, 2023 6:30PM to 8:30PM – FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHT NIGHT
Saturday January 14, 2023 9:00AM to 11:00AM Judo Fitness, Uchi-komi, Technique, Drilling, Throwing 2:00PM to 4:00PM Transition & Tachi-waza Randori
Eligibility: – Judo Alberta / Judo Canada Member – U14 Orange – Club Coach Needs to Attend – U14 / U16 / U18 / U21 / Senior / Veterans – Green & Above
Four Alberta Judoka’s were
recognized by the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and awarded the Queen’s Platinum
Jubilee Medal. This medal is a commemorative medal created to mark the 70th
anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as
Queen of Canada. The recipients of this medal are individuals who have made
significant sports contributions to the province and have helped build their
sport to what it is today.
Congratulations to Joe Meli,
Allan Sattin, Michael Tamura, and Dr. Garry Yamashita.
Joe Meli
Joe
Meli’s contribution to sports in
Alberta has been ongoing since he was a teenager. Mr. Meli’s record of
achievement in Judo include being a National Team member and as an Olympic Team
member. He is one of only 4 Judo Alberta members, and the first athlete,
inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. Mr. Meli has contributed to the
development of Judo in Alberta by starting a Judo club at Lethbridge Community
College and by continuing to support Judo athletes as the Chair of the Judo
Alberta Grading Committee, a committee that tests and passes Judo athletes to
and within the black belt ranks.
Allan Sattin
Allan
Sattin has been involved in the Sport
of Judo in Alberta since 1965 as an athlete, coach, instructor, referee and
event organizer. Allan’s volunteerism
has led him to sit as president for Judo Alberta and Judo Canada. On the international level, Mr. Sattin is the
Chair of the Legal Committee of the Panamerican Judo Confederation, which is
the governing body for Judo in the Americas. Mr. Sattin was appointed by the
Federal Minister of State (Sport) to the Board of Directors of the Sport
Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) and later to the position of Chair
of the SDRCC.
Michael Tamura
Michael
Tamura has been involved with Judo
since 1975 as an athlete, coach, administrator, and volunteer. He has been a
member of the Lethbridge Kyodokan Judo Club as Head Sensei and was involved
with bringing the National Regional Training Center to Lethbridge. Michael also
has a long history of volunteerism including serving as the president of Judo
Alberta, current president of Judo Canada, and is one of only two Canadians
ever appointed to the International Judo Federation Executive Committee. Since
2015, he has been the General Secretary for the Pan American Judo Confederation
and have been on the Executive since 2013.
Garry Yamashita
Dr.
Garry Yamashita has had an
outstanding career in the sport of Judo both provincially and nationally as a
referee, administrator, coach, teacher, and volunteer. With over 50 years of
judo experience, Dr. Yamashita has taught judoka all over the province,
including at the University of Alberta Judo Club and Hiro’s Judo Club. From
2003-2009 he was the President of Judo Alberta and during that same period, he
sat on the Judo Canada Board of Governors and in 2011 he was elected to the
Judo Canada Board of Directors for the Prairie Region. Dr. Yamashita has been a
valuable member of the Provincial and National Grading Committees. He has
conducted numerous technical clinics and training camps to a wide range of
athletes, coaches, and instructors as preparation for their black belt
evaluations as well as for competitive development.
Congratulations
to Joe, Allan, Michael, and Garry on this tremendous recognition for all that
you have done for the sport of Judo. There will be four ceremonies throughout
the province in December to recognize all of the medal recipients hosted by the
Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.
I’m excited to host another female training session for the Edmonton Area. I have added a recreational class from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm, this class is open to anyone who wants to have fun doing judo! I will be hosting a high-performance class afterwards for competitors. Please find more details below.
Edmonton Area Female Training
Friday, December 02, 2022 St. Albert Judo Club42C Riel Dr, St. Albert, AB T8N 3Z8, Canada
Recreational class: 6:00 – 7:00 pm High-Performance class: 7:00 – 8:30 pm Note: There is no cost for these training sessions
We want to have as many female judokas from around Edmonton participating. The goal is to build a community, a social group and an enjoyable healthy culture of female Judoka in Edmonton. Building a good base of female judoka who can continue to develop the sport in Alberta/Canada is an essential objective of the Judo Alberta Strategic Plan.
Tentative future dates: – January 6 – February 10 – March 3 – April 14
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at alexgagnon57@gmail.com
Judo Alberta hosted their Annual General Meeting on November 20th virtually. Multiple items were discussed and important votes were made. Some of the highlights were a good fiscal year for 2021-2022, changes to the bylaws, and new executive committee positions. All of the information on this can be found in our 2021-22 Annual and AGM Report.
We would like to thank Trevor Hazell for his leadership and guidance over the last 6 years as President. The President can only serve for 3 consecutive 2 year terms. There have been many challenges faced by Judo Alberta and Trevor has led the organization through all of it. Trevor will continue on the Executive Committee as the Secretary.
With Trevor’s time as President coming to an end, that means Judo Alberta has a new President. We are pleased to welcome back a familiar name and face for his second go around as President, Kelly Thornton. Kelly previously served as President for 6 years from 2011-2017. Kelly has stayed active on the Executive Committee in multiple roles over the last 6 years, including treasurer and secretary. We are excited to see where Kelly takes Judo in the province of Alberta for his next term as President.