President of the Japanese Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Japanese Judo Federation Yasuhiro Yamashita recently revealed in an interview with the media that Russian President Putin had refused to accept the award from Japan. White belt and 6th judo certificate.
Judo is divided into ten sections and five levels, which are marked by the color of the belt. The belts from the first to the fifth are black, the sixth to the eighth are red and white, and the nine to ten are red. Red belt players are rare in the world. Putin is at the level of 5 black belts and can be called a master of judo.
According to Yasuhiro Yamashita's memory, on December 16, 2016, during Putin's visit to Japan, he visited the "Kudokan" (Judo Hall) in Tokyo. During the period, Putin tried his skills, demonstrated a very high technical level, and conquered all the audience present. The curator hoped to grant Putin a six-stage certificate. He handed Putin a red and white belt and asked him to wear it. But Putin refused on the spot.
"Everyone is a little disappointed. At this time, Putin took the microphone and explained: "I am a judo practitioner, and I know this rank and the weight of this belt." Unfortunately, I have not yet If you reach this level, don’t wear this belt. After returning to China, I will continue to train hard and strive to reach this level. After Putin finished speaking, the audience burst into applause.”
Takehiro Yamashita bluntly said that he is not willing to compete with Putin on the same stage.
"I never thought of Putin as my own Judo opponent. He is much older than me (Editor's Note: Yasushita Yamashita was born in June 1957, Putin was born in October 1952). But he not only practices judo, I also engage in many sports such as ice hockey, swimming and mountain skiing. I never thought of defeating him in the judo arena. I don't want to fight with him, I want to maintain a good relationship with him." Yamashita said with a smile.
