Rabat – As part of “Judo for Peace,” an initiative which aims to promote peace through sports, the Israeli Judo Association will hold this week a special training camp for youth in Morocco.
Organized in cooperation with Morocco’s judo alliance and the International Judo Federation (IFJ), the trip will include visits to judo training sites in Casablanca, Marrakech, Essaouira, and Rabat.
The delegation will be led by Program Director Yoel Libster, who has been accompanying the project for several years, and the chairman of the Israeli Judo Association, Moshe Ponte.
“I am happy to see that Israeli judo continues to push boundaries and I am glad that this cooperation with the Moroccan Judo Association has been forged,” said Moshe Ponte.
“If in the past we have had a hard time, this time we are accepted in Morocco for open and full cooperation, which also sows seeds for the future,” added Ponte.
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Before leaving for the camp on Thursday, November 11, the group of 14 athletes, which includes seven Arab athletes from Abu Ghosh and seven Jewish athletes from Jerusalem, met with the Moroccan Consul in Israel, Abderrahim Bayoud.
In Morocco, the judokas will be hosted by the Israeli Embassy for a festive dinner and reception.
“By organizing Judo training schools, camps and courses, and by hiring qualified training staff, we will be able to help young people facing exclusion,” said Nicolas Messner, head director of “Judo for Peace” and Media Director of IJF.
Following Morocco and Israel’s decision to re-establish diplomatic ties in December 2020, relations between the two countries have improved significantly, setting the scene for better trade and cooperation.
