“I take care of the IT part and I help the organisation so that the competition starts on time and takes place in the best possible conditions,” explains Eniko. "I help the chairman and the sport director. Everything relating to statistics and data passes through our hands. I also take care of communication with the delegations before, during and after the events. This is all done because I am happy to be part of this team and I admire the work of Janos Tardos, the IBSA Judo Chairman. It feels really good to be part of this team. I also like to feel useful by helping the para-judo community and I have the feeling of being able to help improve conditions for all these athletes who deserve it so much. I really feel like I put my heart into the work and put something concrete on the table. Obviously, there is also all the emotion that we get from being part of this great adventure that is para-judo."
For Arpad, it's a similar thing, "I found myself involved in this beautiful story thanks to Ákos Braun, world judo champion in 2005 in Cairo, who is the IT manager for IBSA judo. He is my friend and invited me to join the team. That was in 2018 and I have no regrets because it is very enriching on a human level. What visually impaired judoka do is incredible. At first glance, we say to ourselves that it's not possible and yet, every moment they prove otherwise. It's a hell of a life lesson. We have a lot to learn.
In Hungary, in judo classes for young people, I often do exercises while blocking their sight, so that they only work with sensations. It’s very important in judo.”
Eniko has also often experienced bridges between the world of judo and that of para-judo. She sometimes works at World Judo Tour events, as was the case for the Antalya Grand Slam. "A few years ago, in Romania, I found myself working with blind children. It wasn't easy but it was so strong on a human level. I admire them a lot. They make the impossible possible. They don't say things, they do things! They see through our eyes, which gives us a great responsibility."
Eniko taught judo to Alexandru Bologa (ROU) who, a few years later, became a Paralympic bronze medallist at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, a performance he replicated at the Tokyo 2020 Games. "It's wonderful to see the evolution of a young person who we saw emancipate himself through judo."
The involvement of Eniko and Arpad is essential to the smooth running of the events from a technical and logistical point of view but their roles go beyond their professional skills. There is love for judo and para-judo. This is what moves them forward and above all what advances the cause of judo for all.