Chairman of Ghana Judo Association receives Japanese govt award

The Chairman of the Ghana Judo Association, Mr Emmanuel Gidisu Tetteh has been named for an award by the Government of Japan for his contributions toward the promotion and development of judo in Ghana.

Mr Tetteh, who is also an Assistant Commissioner of Customs in charge of Transit, will be decorated with “The Order of Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays” honours.

The Order of the Rising Sun is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The order is awarded to those who have made distinguished achievements in international relations, promotion of Japanese culture, advancements in their field, development in welfare or preservation of the environment.

Mr Tetteh’s award was announced on November 3, this year by the Government of Japan. Also to receive the same award is Mr Yoshikazu Tamura, the Chairman of the Japanese Association of Judo in Ghana.
Judo

Judo is a martial art that was born in Japan, and it is now known around the world as an Olympic sport. Judo was established in 1882 by combining jujitsu, a form of wrestling, with mental discipline.
Currently, some 184 countries and regions are members of the International Judo Federation. The sport is particularly popular in Europe.

In an interview with Graphic Online, Mr Tetteh said he started practicing judo in the mid-1981, and added that under his leadership as the Chairman of the Ghana Judo Federation, the Ghana team has participated in many international competitions, including the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, 2015 All African Games in Congo, and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Achievement

He said his chairmanship has also seen Ghana winning some medals, pointing out that the Ghana Judo team won two medals at the 2015 All African Games as well as winning three medals at the ECOWAS judo championship in Coutonu in Benin.

Mr Tetteh added that the Ghana Judo team also won 11 medals at the ECOWAS Judo Championship in 2012 at Lome in Togo and also received Japan’s Foreign Minister’s commendation in 2013.

According to him, in 2018 alone, the Ghana Judo team has participated in a number of competitions such as Paris Grand Slam, German Grand Slam, Peru World Cup, Argentina World Cup, Budapest Grand Prix, Senegal Open Championship and Baku World Championship.
Appeal

Mr Tetteh, however, bemoaned lack of training kits as well as financial support as some of the factors affecting the development of Judo in the country.

He has, therefore, appealed to the Ministry of Sports to pay more attention to the Ghana Judo team since the team has the potential of winning more medals for the country in the Olympic Games as well as other international competitions.