He dreamed of a brilliant career. But fate decided otherwise. This is the sad story of a 22-year-old Congolese judoka who died this February 25 in Brazzaville on the tatami, witnesses said. The tragedy occurred during a training session in a judo club in the Congolese capital. The young judoka who had just joined the club was to undergo a hazing consisting of a fight with a master. A one-way fight during which the youngster was subjected to violent and brutal tackles on the ground. Unfortunately, the “baptism” turned into a tragedy when the novice died as a result of these blows.
It is difficult at this time to contact the club’s management, who have so far been unreachable. However, observers indicate that due to the absence of the owner of the structure, who is in France, the master who was dueling with the deceased was not a black belt, “a belt of maturity”. Therefore, an amateur master “without training or qualification”. The International Judo Federation (IJF) has always required clubs to have coaches with a second dan black belt. This was not the case for this Brazzaville club, witnesses explained.
But this incident comes at a time when Congo is serving its suspension sanction by the IJF for not having curbed the crisis at the leadership that rocks the Congolese judo. A crisis that opposes Marien Ngouabi Ikama legitimized by the IJF and Francis Ata Asiokara supported by the Congolese government. And it appears that the club where the drama occurred is part of the Asiokara camp.
