On the day after Friday’s Extraordinary Congress in Vienna the new elected EJU Executive Committee held its first meeting – without a long agenda. It was more about getting to know each other. 9 (out of the 16) members are new elected. In 11 days they will meet again for an intense three-days workshop. By then the Executive Committee members will define in detail their priorities and projects for the upcoming months and years.
“We have quite tough times at the moment with the pandemic and the Russian invasion, that’s why teamwork will be even more important than ever. I am proud of my Exectuve Committee colleagues, most of them run their federations in a very successfull way, all of them have lots of expertise. We already had various discussions, now the real work begins”, clarifies new EJU President Dr. László TOTH. “We do welcome all new ideas and we really want to strengthen the brand of European Judo”, said General Secretary Martin POIGER. “The athmosphere in the team could not be any better.”
The newly formed 16 EJU Executive Committee Members – elected until the end of 2024:
Dr. László Tóth (HUN), 11th EJU President, 7th Dan, graduated lawyer, businessman, President of Hungarian Judo Association since 1998, member of the EJU Execdutive Committee since 2002, was responsible as HJA president for 20 international events since 2001, including 2 World Championships;
Otto Kneitinger (GER), Senior Vice President & Vice President Marketing, 10th EJU President (from February to June 2022), 3rd Dan, businessman, founder of various companies, business license as pastry chef, hotelier, former manager of German Bundesliga team TSV Abensberg JC (21 national titles 7 European titles), EJU Vice President Marketing from 2000 – 2004, from 2008 – 2012 and from 2020 – 2022;
Hrvoje Lindi (CRO), Vice President Sport, 4th Dan, former member of CRO judo national team, 3-time national champion, Professor of physical education and sport, CJF General Secretary/Head Event Director, EJU Sport Director from 2012 until 2022;
Sergei Aschwanden (SUI), Vice President Education, 6th Dan, certified judo coach, master in sport management, Olympic bronze medal winner Beijing 2008, Vice World champion 2003, 2-time European champion (2000, 2003), President of Swiss Judo & Jujitsu Federation (since 2020), Member of Swiss Olympic Committee, CEO Touristic Association Porte des Alpes;
Martin Poiger (AUT), General Secretary, 5th Dan, 4-time bronze medal winner at national championships, doctor in social and economic sciences, president of the Austrian JF since 2019, joined EJU as head office director in 2013 (until February 2022);
Envic Galea (MLT), General Treasurer, 8th Dan, owner and managing director of Ultramar Ltd, EJU General Secretary from 2004 until 2016, other former EJU positions include education director, head sports director and first vice president, IJF Academy chairman, vice president of Commonwealth Judo Association, president of Malta JF;
Catarina E.L. Pedrosa Rodrigues (POR), Head Sport Director, 6th Dan, certified judo coach, post-graduate in sports management, World Championships bronze medallist (2001), World Cup winner (2), 15-time national champion, member of national team for 16 years, became a sport commission member in 2012 and a sport director in 2012, member of Women and Sports Commission of the Portuguese Olympic Committee;
Urska Zolnir Jugovar (SLO), Sport Director, 6th Dan, certified judo coach, Olympic gold medal winner (London 2012), bronze medal winner (Athens 2004, on a wildcard), European champion 2009, IJF number one in 2009 and 2013, 3rd at World Championships 2001, 2003, sports unit coach for the Ministry of Defense, Vice President of Slovenian JF;
Sezer Huysuz (TUR), Sport Director, 4th Dan, 2-time Olympic Games participant (2008, 2012), 3 World Cup wins, 7 podiums in total, former junior coach of national team, President of Turkish JF;
Agron Kuka (KOS), Sport Director, 3rd Dan, Ippon SRC owner, Conquest Investment Group President, President of Kosovo JF, EC member of Kosovo Olympic Committee;
Alexandr Jatskevitch (LAT/BEL), Refereeing Director (since 2016), 8th Dan, Olympic bronze medallist (Moscow 1980), 3-time USSR champion, 74 medals as coach of the Belgian national team – including 8 Olympic and 15 World Championships medals, Vice President of Latvian JF;
Aleksandr Nagibin (UKR), Marketing Director (since 2012), 8th Dan, 3-time bronze medal winner at national championships, 1-time vice champion of USSR, Vice President of the Ukrainian JF;
Jacek Zawadka (POL), Marketing Director, 5th Dan, certified judo coach, physical education degree, 3-time Cadet, Junior and Under-23 national champion, President of Polish Judo Association, President of Warszaw Judo Club;
Kristiina Pekkola (SWE), Education Director, 6th Dan, certified judo coach, 4-time Nordic, Scandinavian and Swedish champion, CEO of Sports Psychology Centre in Malmoe, former head coach of senior and junior national team, President of Swedish JF (since 2017);
Ronnie Saez (GBR), Education Director, 6th Dan, World Veterans champion (2002), 3-time British Master champion (2005 – 2007), Chairman of British Judo Federation (since 2015), former Chairman of Judo Scotland, secretary and treasurer of the Commonwealth Judo Association;
Moshe Ponte (ISR), Development Director, Olympic participant (Los Angeles 1984), responsible for 4 Olympic medals (1992 as head coach, 2016, 2020 as president), former head coach of national team (men, 1988 – 1997), President of Isreal Judo Association, Director of the Olympic Committee of Israel.
Author: EJU Media