This summer, Georgii Zantaraia came to Ukraine with several world-class judoka to run the third Judo Summer Camp, welcoming young athletes and coaches from across the country. Zantaraia is the 2009 world champion at -60 kg and president of the Kyiv Judo Federation.
The camp had three special guests: Italy's Manuel Lombardo, and Georgians Luka Maisuradze and Zebeda Rekhviashvili. Zantaraia's own career includes six world championship medals and three European titles. Lombardo is a junior world champion and has twice taken silver at the senior world championships. Maisuradze won the world title at -90 kg in 2023.
The young judoka were not given lectures. The champions stepped onto the mats as training partners, demonstrating technique through round after round of randori and showing what the fundamentals really look like at elite level: grips, footwork, balance, and the relentlessness that separates competition from practice.
For Ukraine's next generation the meaning goes beyond techniques. When former world champions treat the basics with the same care they give finals, and share what they know without holding back, it becomes clear that judo's community stretches beyond any single dojo, city or national team. Knowledge passes from one generation to the next on the tatami.