News in Press-centre

The international judo center for the training of high-level athletes will be opened on the campus of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU). The groundbreaking ceremony will take place within the framework of the Third Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) and will be part of a large program of FEFU events aimed at developing Russian–Japanese relations.

As the FEFU Vice President for General Affairs Alexey Koshel informed, athletes of high qualification level would be trained in the international judo center; a large hall with tatami and seating capacity would allow for the international competitions to be held there. Construction and equipment are financed by the investor, personal support for the project is provided by Yuri Trutnev, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Presidential Envoy to the Far East.

"Vladivostok plays a key role in the development of cooperation between Russia and Japan. This is the best place to create the first international judo center in this country, which, undoubtedly, will serve to expand bilateral relations," said Alexey Koshel. "Primorsky Krai capital has a special role in the development of judo in Russia, because one of the first domestic coaches in judo was Vasily Oschepkov, the founder of Sambo, who lived and worked in Vladivostok for a long time."

The opening of the Judo Club will be also held in the days of the Eastern Economic Forum in FEFU. Starting from the new academic year this sport will develop at the university as a mass one—it will be included in the program of physical education classes, and students will be able to master the skills for free under the guidance of highly qualified coaches who will be trained in Japan. The club is created with the support of Tokai University and the Judo Federation of Primorsky Krai. Yasuhiro Yamashita, the Olympic champion and the President of the All Japan Japanese Judo Federation, will also present tatami and classical Japanese kimono to the university.

The sports program of the Eastern Economic Forum includes the International Judo Tournament named after the founder of this sport, the Olympic champion Jigoro Kano. Competition will be held on September 6-7 under the patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Today, both states pay special attention to strengthening Russian–Japanese cooperation, and the leaders of the countries meet on the forum's sidelines in FEFU for the second year in a row. The program of events of Far Eastern Federal University at EEF 2017 also includes the opening of the Center for the Study of Russian–Japanese Relations and the Russian–Japanese Student Forum within the framework of the EEF Youth Platform.

The Eastern Economic Forum is held annually to promote the accelerated development of the economy of the Far East and expand international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. The third EEF will be held on the FEFU campus on September 6-7, 2017.