"Last time I visited Tashkent was three years ago. Because of the global pandemic, it was not possible to travel for a long time, but now that I'm here, I can see that the city has changed a lot. There has been a huge development of the country, with many buildings being constructed. Uzbekistan is growing, progressing fast and I am really happy to witness that and to be here.
Judo and taekwondo have been supporting each other for a long time. We have developed a nice friendship between our two organisations and I consider Marius Vizer a friend.
On Sunday there was the opening ceremony of the World Championships. It was a really nice event. I appreciate the presence of so many spectators. In front of such an enthusiastic audience, the final of the -81kg was absolutely fantastic.
Olympic judo was born in Japan in 1964. Taekwondo is a little younger as we started as an official Olympic sport in Sydney in 2000. Judo and taekwondo are the only Asian rooted sports of the Olympic programme and it creates some strong bonds between our disciplines. We are both martial arts based on strong values such as self control, respect and loyalty. Our sports are good for the youth, not only as combat sports but as philosophies.
I am happy to see that judo is popular in Uzbekistan. Taekwondo is also growing in the country. In 2019 we held the cadet worlds here and since then it has been developing.
I truly believe that together with judo we can build a better world. Both our federations are doing a lot to help refugees and displaced people, for instance. In Tokyo we had four refugee athletes and eight were already granted an IOC scholarship. In 2019, I invited President Vizer to the taekwondo worlds in Manchester and we signed an MoU to be even more active in that sector. We have the same target and we can create synergies and share experience. As Olympic sports, we should do something for society.
My family itself was concerned by the refugee situation. My parents moved from North to South Korea after the Second World War and after the Korean War. When we signed a recent MoU with the city of Paris, the Mayor of the city, Mrs Anne Hidalgo, told me that she was a refugee. We can all experience this trauma in our lives but through sport and especially in our sports, which are so values-based, we can do a lot.
I was really happy to discus those subjects with President Vizer. Taekwondo and judo have so much in common, we share the same vision.
Talking about the competition itself, I see also a lot of similarities between our two sports. The Judo World Championships are really well organised and I enjoyed watching them. Sometimes I think we should organise some joint events in the future.
I believe that judo and taekwondo have a bright future and we can be role models for many other organisations. We are happy to welcome anyone who has the same objective. It is very important. Sport is the perfect tool to develop a better world.
I want to thank President Vizer for the invitation. I consider him as my brother. Every time we have the chance to meet, I think we are moving forward. He is a wonderful president for judo and under his leadership, the sport has developed a lot. I wish him and his team great success."