… the individuals are expected to improve the sport in the country

Thinley Namgay    

Members of Bhutan Judo Association (BJA) Kinley Tshering and Tandin Wangchuk, who were studying at  SEISA Dohto University in Japan since 2019, graduated on March 15.

Both were on SEISA scholarship.

They said they will use their expertise to promote judo in Bhutan.

Kinley Tshering, 24,  from Zhemgang said the graduation ceremony on March 15 was one of the memorable moments in his life.  “I want to thank SEISA, Bhutan Olympic Committee (BOC), and BJA for giving us such opportunities to pursue our dreams.”

He said that graduating from such a reputed university in Japan made him confident to promote judo in Bhutan. “Now I am confident to participate in the international tournaments.”

He said, “Judokas in Japan take part in lots of tournaments to gain experience.  They are talented because of good training from an early age.  In Bhutan, tournaments are minimal.”

Kinley Tshering said that he wants to train aspiring judokas in the country and make it popular among the youth.  “With four years of training in Japan,  I  improved a lot.”

Tandin Wangchuk, 25, from Thimphu said that besides judo skills, he also gained business ideas.

He said that he was astonished by the discipline, sense of respect, diet, timing, and hygiene of Japanese judokas at the university. “Japan’s grassroots development in judo is phenomenal.”

Tandin said he is determined to perform well in the upcoming Asian Games in China. “In the future, I want to open a judo school to provide opportunity to all.”

“Bhutanese judokas need to play more international games,” he said.

Kinley and Tandin said they were not able to cope in the new environment due to the language barrier and long training in the beginning.  However, they adapted within a few months.