The Israel Judo Association (Hebrew: איגוד הג'ודו בישראל) is a sports association in Israel, and its headquarters is located in Tel Aviv, Israel.[1]
The Association operates Israel's national judo teams, holds the Israeli Judo Championships for different age classifications, and offers courses and seminars for instructors, coaches, and referees.[2] It is a member of the European Judo Union.[1]
History
The Israel Judo Association was established in 1965.[3] Amos Greenspan, a second dan, was Chairman of the Association in the early 1970s.[4] At that time, the Association did not easily recognize belts earned overseas, as it sought to maintain very high standards.[4] The Association held Israeli Judo Championships from 1969 for men, and from 1976 for women.[5]
Israel Judo Association's President is Moshe Ponte.[1][8] Ponti said in August 2016, as judo became Israel’s unofficial national sport with five of its nine Olympic medals coming in judo: "Soccer may be more popular, but this is what we are good at. Every other kid in Israel does it."[9]
As of November 2016, the International Judo Federation and the Israel Judo Association had begun developing Judo for Peace (JFP) activities in the region, for the benefit of all its communities.[10]
