Japan pledges continued support for judo
Calistus Kolantsho | Thursday October 30, 2014 15:48
Itsubo died after a freak incident on October 9, while climbing Table Mountain in Cape Town. The deceased who was Botswana coach was buried in Kanagawa, Japan last week.
Speaking during the memorial service for Itsubo in Gaborone on Tuesday, JICA resident representative, Akihiko Hoshino said they will continue with the spirit of judo as the deceased would have loved.
He assured Botswana Judo Federation (BCJ) and Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) that the agency would support the development of the sport through different programmes.
“Itsubo was an achiever and always dreamt big as he was courageous and had a great vision,” Hoshino said.
BCJ president, Estony Hattingh said the deceased was committed to the sport and his dream was to see Botswana qualifying for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
She said the coach was able to fit in any age group and that made it easy for him to impart skills to the young athletes.
Itsubo arrived in Botswana as a volunteer coach from Japan for two years in 2013.
Hattingh explained that during his tenure in the country, there has been a turnaround in judo fortunes in technical and emotional aspects.
She explained that the coach was able to steer the national team to win medals from different competitions such as the Africa Youth Games.
“He has left behind a legacy in judo and we will strive to continue with his legacy and dedicated work to the sport.
We will only achieve that by developing young athletes,” she said. Itsubo’s memorial was held at the same time with the commemoration of the World Judo Day.
BNSC acting chief executive officer, Thato Kgosimore said Itsubo’s death was devastating.
He said the deceased was not just a coach but also a son to the entire sporting fraternity.
Kgosimore stated that during his short stay in Botswana, Itsubo catapulted judo to become one of medal winners in the country. He appealed to JICA to assist the federation with a replacement for Itsubo.
Apart from coaching the national team, Itsubo was coaching pupils in government primary schools.
He was running judo development programmes in primary schools such as Philip Moshotle, Lesedi, SSKB, Botsalano and Masa.