Democratic Republic of the Congo's first international standard judo sports center completed: Contributing to International Cooperation and Peace Building through Sports
2023.10.05
On September 9, the inauguration ceremony was held in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), for the completion of the Judo Sports Center built under the grant aid of "The Project for Construction of Judo and Sports Center." From the DRC side, Minister of the Interior, Mr. Kazadi, Minister of Sports and Leisure, Mr. Kabulo, the Deputy Commissioner General of the Congolese National Police, Mr. Van Ang, and from the Japan side, Mr. Minami Hiroyuki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the DRC, Mr. Murakami Hironobu, Chief Representative of JICA DRC Office attended the ceremony.
The project began its survey in 2017 and signed a grant agreement in May 2018. The construction began in January, 2021. There was a time when construction was forced to be suspended due to the spread of the COVID-19, but two-story indoor sports center (total floor area approx. 2,200 m2, capacity of 1,120 spectators) that can be used for competitions was completed at the end of December 2022.
Completion Ceremony
Through this project, it is expected that sports and youth development will be promoted in the Congolese people, and that Japanese culture will spread widely in Congolese through judo, karate, aikido, jiujitsu, etc., and the center will play a role as a symbol of friendship between the DRC and Japan. In addition, since the center was built on the premises of the Congolese National Police (PNC), judo will be incorporated into the police officer training program. What’s more, by providing guidance to citizens' judo clubs, improvement of the level of judo competition among Congolese people and spread of judo in the country are expected.
The DRC still has conflict areas in the country. Especially in the eastern region, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has been conducting security operations for more than 20 years. Maintaining public order after MONUSCO's activities are curtailed or withdrawn has become an urgent issue, and JICA, in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has initiated to strengthen police capacity in Tanganyika Province in the Eastern Region. JICA will continue to actively contribute to the achievement of peace and stability among the DRC.
(Reference 1) Judo is a popular martial art along with karate among the Congolese people, and the number of competitors is estimated to be about 7,000 nationwide (as of 2015, based on the members of the Congolese National Federation). However, until now, there have been no indoor sports facilities with spectator seats in the DRC, and it is an indoor sports facility that can be used for various martial arts such as judo as well as ball games. Therefore, such a facility was in great demand.
This center is an indoor sports facility with a total floor space of approximately 2,200 m2 that can accommodate approximately 1,120 spectators in total, including 812 seats on the second floor, a standing area for approximately 300 spectators on the second floor, and a space for six spectators with disabilities on the first floor. The arena of about 660 m2 on the first floor has two judo match areas that meet international standards. It also supports various martial arts such as karate, aikido and jiujitsu, and indoor ball games such as basketball and volleyball. In addition, there is a fitness gym, changing room, medical office, laundry room for judo uniform etc., and a space dedicated to wheelchairs, multipurpose room with a kitchen that could hold press conferences and receptions. It can also be used for cultural events such as concerts.
Reference 2: JICA has been working on PNC's police officer training for many years, and "strengthening cooperation between police and local communities" is one of the pillars of its activities in the technical cooperation "Capacity Building Project for Police Training for Citizens and Peace Phase 2" that has been implemented since 2021. This project supports citizens and police to work together to improve public safety and safety in the community. It is also expected that the center is widely open to the public, such as citizens and police practicing judo together, and it will become a place to build relationships between the two.
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