Bronze Opens a New Chapter for Armenia in Adapted Judo

Aleks Mkrtchyan made Armenia’s first appearance at an EJU Get Together event for adapted judo, leaving Gdańsk with a bronze medal. The Armenian judoka was the only athlete representing his country on the tatami, but the moment carried significance well beyond the size of the delegation.

Mkrtchyan travelled with his coach and father, Nerses Khachatryan. Their trip to Gdańsk was the result of a longer search for opportunities in adapted judo, which Khachatryan had not known existed when he began coaching Aleks around five years ago.

The connection began through a friend who leads a group in Armenia supporting children facing similar challenges. After learning that tournaments were taking place in Europe, Khachatryan started looking into the European Judo Union’s adapted judo activity.

He eventually contacted Marina Drašković, Head of the EJU Adapted Judo Commission, via WhatsApp. Drašković explained how the programme worked, allowing the family to make plans for their first international event.

Armenia’s first EJU Get Together appearance ended with a bronze medal.

For Mkrtchyan, the medal was a reward for stepping onto a new stage. For Armenian adapted judo, the participation also showed how quickly information and opportunities can travel when coaches and families find the right connections.

The EJU’s adapted judo project was still building its foundations only three years ago. Now, its reach is extending far beyond the countries already involved, with coaches discovering the programme from thousands of kilometres away and considering how they could develop similar opportunities at home.

Armenia’s presence in Gdańsk may have consisted of one judoka, one coach and one medal, but it placed the country firmly within that growing conversation.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union