Judo in Canada

Judo in Canada
Image of Antoine Valois-Fortier at the 2016 Olympics
Antoine Valois-Fortier, one of Canada's most successful Judoka, at the 2016 Olympics
CountryCanada
Governing bodyJudo Canada
National team(s)
International competitions

The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in Canada for over a century. The first long-term judo dojo in Canada, Tai Iku Dojo, was established by a Japanese immigrant named Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki in Vancouver in 1924. Sasaki and his students opened several branch schools in British Columbia and even trained RCMP officers until 1942, when Japanese Canadians were expelled from the Pacific coast and either interned or forced to move elsewhere in Canada due to fears that they were a threat to the country after Japan entered the Second World War. When the war was over, the government gave interned Japanese Canadians two options: resettle in Canada outside of the 'Japanese exclusion zone' (within 100 miles of the Pacific coast) or emigrate to Japan.[1]

The majority moved to other provinces, and Japanese Canadian resettlement is the main way that judo was introduced to the Prairies, Ontario, and Quebec. The pattern is different in Atlantic Canada and Northern Canada, where judo was typically introduced 5–10 years later and migrants from Europe played a more significant role. The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association, now known as Judo Canada, was established in Toronto in 1956 and recognized by the International Judo Federation as Canada's official governing body in 1958, and by 1960 there were more than 4,000 judoka in Canada, most of whom were not Japanese Canadian.[1][2] Interest in judo also grew among the general public after Doug Rogers unexpectedly won silver at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's practice of judo became a prominent part of his public persona in the late 1960s.[3][4][5] Today there are about 400 judo clubs and approximately 25,000 judoka in Canada, and it is most popular in Quebec where there are around 120 clubs and 10,000 judoka.[1][6][7][8]

While most Canadian judo clubs focus on physical education and recreation, Canada has fielded competitors in international competition since the 1950s, and its athletes have won eight medals at the Summer Olympics and twenty at the World Judo Championships. Canada's most successful competitor is Nicolas Gill, who won medals at two Olympic Games and three World Championships, and is now the CEO of Judo Canada after coaching the national team from 2009 to 2016.[1][9] Antoine Valois-Fortier's bronze at the 2012 London Olympics—Canada's first Olympic medal since Gill's silver in 2000—led to increased federal funding that significantly improved Judo Canada's training capacity, including a new training centre in Montreal where the organization is now based.[10] Since then Christa Deguchi and Jessica Klimkait have won the World Judo Championships, Klimkait and Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard became the first Canadian women in history to win Olympic medals in judo at the 2020 Olympics, Priscilla Gagné became both the first Canadian woman in history to win a medal and the first Canadian to win silver in Paralympic judo at the 2020 Paralympics, and Christa Deguchi became the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Olympics.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

  1. ^ a b c d Gill, Nicolas; Leyshon, Glynn (2019). Judoka: The History of Judo in Canada (Second ed.). Montreal: Marcel Broquet. ISBN 978-2-89726-352-2.
  2. ^ "Judo Tightening Grip on Canada". Maclean's. 13 February 1960. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021.
  3. ^ Hawthorn, Tom (13 August 2020). "Comic book ads and Marlon Brando inspired Doug Rogers, Canada's first great judoka". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  4. ^ Miller, Robert (16 February 1968). "Trudeau: The hip saviour?". Toronto Daily Star. p. 7.
  5. ^ Kesterton, Michael (30 September 2000). "Memories of our first PM with a brown belt in judo". The Globe and Mail. p. A15. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Canada". International Judo Federation. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Trouver un club". Judo Québec (in French). 30 August 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  8. ^ Arbor-Masse, Olivier (27 February 2015). "Le judo, autre chasse gardée québécoise". Radio-Canada (in French). Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Staff". Judo Canada. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Nicolas Gill - Olympic Silver Medalist & CEO of Judo Canada". Judocast. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  11. ^ Wong, Agnes (27 August 2019). "Christa Deguchi makes history as Canada's first judo world champion". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Jessica Klimkait becomes Canada's 2nd judo world champion, qualifies for Olympics". CBC Sports. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  13. ^ Heroux, Devin (26 July 2021). "Jessica Klimkait wins judo bronze to make Canadian history". CBC Sports. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  14. ^ Strashin, Jamie (27 July 2021). "Canada's Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard captures Olympic bronze in judo". CBC Sports. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Canadian judoka Priscilla Gagné grapples to silver at Paralympics". CBC Sports. 26 August 2021.
  16. ^ Nichols, Paula (2024-07-29). "Judoka Christa Deguchi wins Canada's first gold medal at Paris 2024". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. Retrieved 2024-07-29.