Lommel Judo Championship

On April 14, the Judo championship of Lommel was held at the sports arena “De Soeverein”, in the center of the city of Lommel, located in Limburg province, and was attended by Ambassador Hayashi. This championship is held every year in Lommel, in which judoka’s not only from Belgium but from other countries as well, including the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France and Italy participate, making the event one of the leading international judo championships held in Belgium.
The opening ceremony of the championship was attended by Member of the Chamber of Representatives Mr. Vanvelthoven, and Ambassador Hayashi praised in his welcome address the leadership of Lommel judo club President Mr. Mélotte, who has for many years taken the initiative to organize this championship, and has contributed to exchange between Japan and Belgium through judo. Ambassador Hayashi furthermore stated he expects many Belgian judoka’s to participate in the Olympic Games of Tokyo 2020. During the ceremony, the Japanese national anthem “Kimigayo” was performed, and Ambassador Hayashi presented the “Misato Oi Award” to the female judoka with the most outstanding performance, in remembrance of the Japanese exchange student who had during her lifetime deepened exchange with the people of Lommel before having sadly passed away two years ago.
At the venue, fierce competition developed both among the men and women of all ranks, and after the matches the judoka’s were awarded with a commemorative cup by Ambassador Hayashi, who praised them for their efforts.