Teenagers. Judo. Youth Exchange in Rotterdam

One of the key missions of the West-East Bridges Foundation is to support the EU Eastern Partnership program, which aims to assist democratic reforms in Eastern Partnership countries. Unfortunately, in recent years, democratic values in these countries have been severely tested. In Ukraine, there is a war, and lives are lost every day. In Belarus and Azerbaijan, there are, in practice, neither elections nor freedom of speech. In Moldova, Georgia, and Armenia, heated debates are underway about whether they need European values and closer ties with the EU. From Georgia and Armenia to the nearest EU country – Greece, it is about two thousand kilometers. Not everyone in these countries can afford to travel to Europe. As a result, they learn about the EU—how people live, work, and what they value—mainly through the media, which, unfortunately, is often politicized.

As the saying goes, it is better to see something once than to hear about it a hundred times. In 2024, in The Hague, we realized the project "Armenia. The Path to European Values" (https://www.west-east-fund.com/index.php/en/news/65-armenia-the-path-to-european-values). Students from leading universities in Yerevan, who participated in our project, visited the Netherlands for the first time. As we expected, they were absolutely enchanted by the country. They told us that such projects should be organized more often, so that young people could not only see the Netherlands but also interact with peers from this amazing country. Furthermore, they stressed the importance of offering such opportunities to teenagers, since it is at this age that their core preferences and life views are shaped.

When working on the project development, we first had to decide what kind of teenagers should be involved. We chose athletes, and the sport had to be popular both in Armenia, Georgia, and the Netherlands, and reflect the shared values of young people in these countries. We decided to invite young judokas aged 13–14. Judo turned out to be the perfect choice: it is popular in all three countries—Netherlands, Georgia, and Armenia. But while in Armenia and Georgia boys often practice wrestling to become physically strong and able to defend themselves, in the Netherlands, teenagers practice judo primarily to stay healthy and strong in spirit.

The first step was to arrange a meeting with the legendary Dutch judoka Richard de Bijl at his club in Spijkenisse, a town near Rotterdam. Richard turned out to be an exceptionally warm and hospitable person. He not only showed us around his club but also invited us to join a training session. Most importantly, he confirmed that his club would participate in our project.

In May 2025, the Dutch Erasmus+ agency approved the project "Teenagers, Sports, and European Values", submitted by the West-East Bridges Foundation in cooperation with our organization and our partners from Georgia, JA Georgia.

The Netherlands is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, and our organizing team had to invest a lot of time and effort into solving practical issues. Among the most crucial was the safety of the teenagers, many of whom were traveling on such a long journey without their parents for the first time. It soon became clear that our decision to invite young athletes was the right one. The young judokas behaved with dignity, listened to their coaches, and treated adults with respect.

Each country was represented by ten teenagers, two coaches, and a representative of the partner organization. Even before the project began, we explained to the coaches from Armenia and Georgia that our goal was not for their young athletes to showcase their skills on the mat, but to create opportunities for them to communicate with their peers from the Netherlands, to understand how they live, how they study, and what interests them.

For this reason, the Armenian group was not made up of national team members but athletes from the Thunder sports club in Avan, which, in terms of size and distance from the center of Yerevan, is similar to the judo club in Spijkenisse. Richard de Bijl did the same on his side, and two girls from his club—both judokas—also joined the project. The boys from Armenia and Georgia showed particular politeness and respect towards them.

Among the ten young judokas from Georgia, three were already champions of Georgia. One of them, tall and long-haired Saba, was a four-time national champion.

Unfortunately, there are no direct flights from Armenia or Georgia to the Netherlands, so the young judokas, their coaches, and representatives from our partner organizations had to take night flights with layovers in other countries. Rotterdam greeted us with overcast skies and light rain.

On the morning of October 19, the rain stopped. The participants were divided into three mixed groups and given their first task: to walk to the local judo club. According to the map, the walk was supposed to take no more than an hour.

The young judokas from Armenia and Georgia were asked to film everything they saw that was different from their own cities. The Dutch judokas were asked to film what seemed different from the traditional Dutch style. The coaches accompanied the teenagers, but we asked not to guide the young people on how to find their way.

All the Dutch teenagers were from Spijkenisse and thus didn’t know Rotterdam very well either. So, in the search for the local judo club, everyone had the same chances.

It should be noted that the young Dutch judokas spoke English fluently, which could not be said about their peers from Armenia and Georgia. But as we know, sport brings people together. And Google Translate can always help find the right words in English. Additionally, the coaches and representatives from the partner organizations spoke good English, and the Georgian coaches were fluent in Armenian as well. All three groups successfully reached the judo club.

First, we organized interactive team-building games for the teenagers, along with sports competitions. One of the most successful was a contest to throw a ball accurately into a basketball hoop. All the judokas, both older and younger, took part. One missed throw, and the athlete was out of the game. To everyone’s surprise, the winner of this contest was a 13-year-old boy of small stature. This proved that in competitive struggles, strength is not always decisive.

After that, Richard de Bijl and his colleagues led the first joint training session. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gl3COLu9qC9j-o-195Duc_6E7VHGGvhK/view?usp=sharing) Richard holds an 9th dan in judo. He is an excellent coach.

It turned out that training in the Netherlands differs from trainings in Armenia and Georgia - Dutch coaches talk more with young judokas, joke a lot, and smile often. The return trip to the hotel took just ten minutes by tram.

The next two days had the same plan. The organizers made an effort to arrange dinners in different restaurants to introduce participants to various cuisines—Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Turkish.

Over these days, it became clear how judo in the Netherlands differs from judo in Georgia and Armenia. The Dutch Judo Federation has about 50,000 registered members, while the Armenian Federation has only a few thousand, and the same is true for Georgia. Yet, this year, Georgia became the world judo team champion!

In the Netherlands, most athletes practice judo not to win competitions but to stay healthy and enjoy the sport itself. In Armenia and Georgia, most teenagers give up sports after finishing school, as they understand that they will not achieve major success. In the Netherlands, however, people practice judo from the age of 5 to 80.

In the Caucasus, it is believed that a man must be able to defend himself. The ability to throw an opponent to the ground is highly valued.

One of the most important European values is the ability and willingness to resolve disputes through dialogue. In the Netherlands, people have long since learned how to find common ground with one another.

Surveys among the teenagers from Armenia and Georgia revealed that they were impressed by the cleanliness and order in Dutch cities. They appreciated the fact that the standard of housing and other buildings in the city center and outskirts didn’t differ much.

Of course, thirty teenagers, all wrestlers, can’t help but fool around from time to time. Children are loved in the Netherlands no less than in the Caucasus, of course. We did not receive a single complaint. On the contrary, people treated the children with great kindness.

On the other hand, at the Olympic Games, medals are awarded for victories, not for the number of people engaged in a sport. In the Netherlands, there is the opposite problem: there are relatively few teenagers striving to become great athletes. So, the Judo Federation has allocated significant funds for the development of the sport, yet major results have not been seen in recent years.

Thanks to Richard de Bijl, word about the young judokas from distant countries—who know how to fight and want to become champions—spread far beyond Rotterdam. By the second joint training, around six new young judokas and their coaches from other clubs joined us. A couple of days later, even more local young judokas showed up.

On this day, we were joined by Guillaume Elmont, the 2005 judo world champion. He is now a prominent figure in the Dutch Judo Federation. He greeted the young judokas and noted that such joint training sessions and opportunities for young athletes to interact are very valuable for Dutch youth.

The fourth day was the most memorable. On that day, activities and training were supposed to take place in Richard’s town, Spijkenisse. It turned out that the mayor of Spijkenisse had heard about our project and invited us to the town hall.

By then, the participants from different countries had already bonded well. We traveled by train from Rotterdam to Spijkenisse. The town hall turned out to be a large and beautiful building. The young athletes stood in a semicircle in front of the mayor, hands on each other's shoulders, and greeted him in the traditional judo manner—with a bow of respect.

The mayor and municipal staff were very pleased with our visit. They gave the young athletes souvenirs and invited them to come again. Information about our visit was published on the town hall’s website (https://www.linqmedia.nl/nieuws/judo-als-brug-tussen-culturen-in-erasmusproject-vriendschap-respect-en-saamhorigheid).

After lunch, we were scheduled to visit Richard de Bijl’s judo club. We walked through Spijkenisse on foot. Richard gave us a real guided tour, showing us the classic Dutch countryside with a windmill, canals, and small, beautiful houses.

After about half an hour, we reached Richard’s club. Then, we walked to another club, headed by one of the coaches of the Dutch national judo team. This time, he led the training session. At this club, we were joined not only by young judokas but also by several adult judokas.

One wall of the training hall was made of glass, and behind it, a large group of coaches and parents had gathered to watch how the young athletes from Armenia and Georgia trained and competed. At this session, both young and more experienced judokas, who compete successfully in the Netherlands, participated (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ev7H6aivZtNU4lK4yKMkb9R772O_HysP/view?usp=sharing).

At the request of the West-East Bridges Foundation, no official competitions were held during these training sessions. Our goal was not to determine who the best judoka was. Once again, the young athletes sparred with each other on the tatami, but no one was evaluating the results, and no one was declared a winner. Every few minutes, they changed partners.

It seemed that the shining moment of the day belonged to Saba from Georgia. The 14-year-old boy threw his older and heavier opponents onto the tatami in a matter of seconds. It was another triumph for the Georgian school of judo. Of course, other athletes also showcased their skills.

The next day was entirely devoted to walks and informal communication among the young judokas. By then, they no longer walked the streets of Rotterdam in their original national groups, as they had on the first day, but in mixed groups. It was the only sunny day during the entire stay in the Netherlands for the teams from Armenia and Georgia.

The highlight of the day was a boat trip along the river, during which we were treated to delicious pancakes. Everyone could eat as many pancakes as they wanted. The boat trip was sponsored by Richard de Bijl. Afterwards, the participants visited an amusement center in Rotterdam.

The following evening, the Armenian and Georgian teams flew back home. It was time to reflect on the results. The farewell scene was long and very moving.

In this project, we wanted to use sport not to determine the strongest but to help teenagers from different countries communicate and become friends. And we succeeded. The young judokas from the Netherlands would like to visit their new friends from Armenia and Georgia. It was truly wonderful.