To the members of Judo Canada,

Thank you for all your support for our first ever Grand Prix in Montreal. This event was made possible with the support of all members and friends of Judo Canada, for which I am very appreciative. So many people from Victoria, British Columbia to St. John’s, Newfoundland, attended the event and I would like to extend my thanks to all of you.

There was great financial and volunteer support required to put on this event, and I know some of you may be wondering how this was possible. It takes many years of planning, organizing, and saving for such a great event. Judo Canada prepared diligently for this, and again I would like to thank everyone who offered their support to organize this monumental Judo tournament.

I must acknowledge Mr. Nicolas Gill, as well as Mr. Patrick Esparbès and their team of volunteers, for the countless hours they have dedicated to make this happen. It takes a village to raise a man, or in this case, an IJF event, and I apologize for not recognizing each and every one of our contributors individually.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome any feedback, good or bad, on your experiences at the Montreal Grand Prix. Together we can continue to grow our sport and events now and in the future.

To all the athletes – congratulations on putting on a great show. Win or lose, you did us proud and I promise to do my best to give you and future judokas as many opportunities as possible to proudly wear the maple leaf on your judogi in competition.

To the Board of Directors, the Provincial and Territorial presidents, and all the members of Judo Canada, thank you for believing in me and in the vision of a Grand Prix in Canada. Your support is not unnoticed.

As I write this letter, I can’t help but think about all of the people that made this possible. You inspire me to continue to work harder every day, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you as a judoka and a Canadian.

Sincerely,

Mike Tamura
President of Judo Canada