JudoCrazy E-Mag (December) | Page 49

leg JC: What is judo to you?

Hans van Essen: I love judo as a sport. With all due respect, I have no interest in kata. I’m interested in competition judo: the IJF World Tour, World Championships, Olympics, etc.

JC: There was a time when there was only a few big competitions like Tournoi de Paris and Kano Cup. Today, there’s an IJF World Tour event almost every month. Your thoughts?

HVE: More competitions, I love it! I applaud IJF President Marius Vizer for effecting this change. But in terms of marketing, getting judo on TV, gamification of our sport, securing big sponsors – judo has still got a long way to go.

JC: Your thoughts on the leg grab ban?

HVE: The new rules have sparked some remarkable innovations by the top players to work around the leg-grab ban. But some players have also resorted to playing the shido game. I know that's within the rules but it’s annoying to see that style of play.

JC: Did you enjoy Rio 2016?

HVE: The Olympics are special. Big upsets happen that you rarely see in the IJF World Tour or even the World Championships. In that sense, it's more exciting than any other judo tournaments.

JC: What do you think of the wild cards?

HVE: A handful of wild card athletes performed well but the reality is that most of them were cannon fodder who lost in the first round. This might sound harsh but athletes who didn’t qualify shouldn’t be there. I know they want to increase diversity but rather than wild cards from non-qualifying countries, I would rather have those athletes who had qualified but could not go because another athlete from their country (in the same weight class) was higher ranking. Japan for example, had three athletes who qualified for Rio in the -73kg weight class but only one could go. Wouldn’t it be better if you allowed at least two of them to go, if not all three? The Olympics should be a place for top athletes only.

JC: Who was the most impressive male player and female player in Rio 2016?

HVE: For male, it’s easy: Shohei Ono of Japan. Great performance and great respect shown after winning the gold. For female, it’s harder to choose as there were many good performances but perhaps I’ll pick Rafaela Silva, who won a gold medal for the host country.

JC: Who was the biggest surprise?

HVE: Without a doubt, Fabio Basile of Italy. Superb performance and he’s such a star, both on and off the mat. We must feature him in a future issue of JudoCrazy. Fabio, do you hear that?

JC: Biggest upset?

HVE: Well, it wasn’t one but three by the same guy: Cheng Xunzhao of China who beat Ilias Iliadis (GRE), Kriztian Toth (HUN) and Marcus Nyman (SWE) in successive order, and all with the same technique for ippon. Totally amazing and a good result too winning the first male judo bronze for his country.

JC: Many observers were disappointed with Teddy Riner of France winning his second Olympics in a row through shido play. What are your thoughts?

HVE: It was a terrible final to watch indeed but he played to the rules, so it’s a legitimate win. Some people are critical that he resorted to shido play but we should be happy to have someone like Teddy Riner. You might not like his style but the fact is, he’s a megastar and that is good for judo. Yes, one day he will slip up and someone will catch him off guard. When that day comes, it will be a huge upset and it will spice up the heavyweight category, which could use a bit of spicing up.

Q&A with Judo Insider

Hans van Essen