Hi guys!

This is Isaac Neo, the team leader from Judo, posting about our experiences during the 13th Commonwealth Judo Championships from 10-12 January 2010.

This reflection written by Melissa Teo sums up our experience quite well.

Being at the Commonwealth Judo Championships doing sports presentation was a delightful experience. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and I am looking forward to the Youth Olympic Games in August!

At the cold hall in Suntec Convention Centre, watching the athletes’ dedication to their sport was very heart-warming. As part of my duty as a sports presenter, I was required to watch each match very closely so that I would be able to announce the winner. With each move, I could sense their determination to win, or simply just to put up a good fight against their opponent. Even for the athletes who were clearly the weaker of the two, they never let that get in their way. Such fighting spirit is very inspiring!

In the competition the aim is to win. However, I think that we must not get too caught up in that. We must remember to learn from our opponents’ strengths and try to overcome our own weaknesses. That, I think is the true spirit of competition. I feel that I have seen that in all the judo athletes and I am very proud of them for that! I hope that this spirit will continue, and that we will learn to live in such a spirit in our daily lives.

Friendship is also very important. With many athletes coming from all over the world, from different cultures and backgrounds, what binds them together is their love for and competency at Judo. This is a great chance to make friends and forge deep friendships! I believe that overcoming differences is key to such friendship. The athletes can also learn more about their opponents, as a part of culture education.

All this talk about judo is making me extremely excited about the upcoming Youth Olympic Games! I hope that August will be here soon…

xoxo, Melissa