For many Somalia was a lost cause. However, little by little, signs of improvement were being felt. Among these signs, the development of the practice of judo, which, thanks to the values it conveys, allowed a small community of judoka to glimpse a brighter future. At the time of the Junior World Championships in Olbia, Somalia was organising a national competition and it was the start of something.
Two years later, while the best cadets on the planet meet in Zagreb for the Cadet World Championships, Somalia is still progressing. The brand new and biggest club in the country has just opened a section in the Somali police orphanage. The institution welcomes a large number of children who will now be able to have access to the practice of our sport.
Run by the Somali police, the club is ready to spread the judo values among those who have been suffering too much. General Ali, who runs the centre, congratulated all the stakeholder for their effort to restore peace and hope. During the opening ceremony a special advisor from Germany was also present.
This might look insignificant, but it isn't. When hope seems to have left, judo can bring it back. The children who from now on will be able to practice our sport will be the beneficiaries of something that is bigger than anything, this is called hope.