Dubai: The Sharjah Self Defence Sports Club will collaborate with the Republic of Tatarstan in taking the sport forward in the emirate through a formal tie-up.
Pavel Nikolaev, President, Judo Federation of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan met with top officials from the Sharjah Self Defence Sports Club (SSDSC) earlier this week in an attempt to explore ways to promote judo within the existing order at the club.
Nikolaev suggested that the Judo Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan can start off by further building up talented players who can be prepared as the champions of the future. “The efforts at the grassroots are most important for the development of any sport, and our visit to the Sharjah Club is meant to explore ways by which we can take this sport to a higher level,” Nikolaev told Gulf News in a chat.
Nikolaev and the accompanying officials were received at the SSDSC premises by Abdul Aziz Al Hammadi, Director, Sports Training Department, coach Maxim Kalinichev and other officials from the club.
The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of the Russian Federation, located in the Volga Federal District with the city of Kazan as its capital.
Judo has been developing in the Republic of Tatarstan since 1971. The first section in Kazan opened at the Tasma Association, and in Naberezhnye Chelny at the Kamaz plant. Since 1974, the Republic’sathletes have participated in competitions and championships within Russia, the USSR, in Europe and across the globe.
The best way, as Nikolaev stressed, in improving judo in the region is to push forward by having periodic training camps between the Republic of Tatarstan and Sharjah. “The exchange from both sides will result in a true exchange of sports experiences, and this in turn, will lead towards a belief in the players that they are able to make it to the top of their sport,” Nikolaev noted.
“At the same time, we will pay attention to an exchange of ideas and the latest innovations in judo and these will be discussed and debated freely at workshops and seminars between the two bodies from time to time,” he added.
The SSDSC is fully backed by the Government of Sharjah since its establishment in 2015 by Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The club has been one of the main martial arts bodies in the emirate dealing with taekwondo, karate, judo and jiu-jitsu.
