World Leaders and Judo

Vladimir Putin – Russian President

The Russian President Vladimir Putin began studying judo aged 14 at St. Petersburg's Yawara Judo Club.

During his competitive career Putin was placed third in the Russian Junior Nationals and was the Leningrad Judo Champion in 1974.

President Vladimir Putin has continued practice and is best known for his sweeping leg throw (Harai goshi). He was officially awarded the coveted sixth dan black belt on an official state visit to Tokyo, Japan where he met Yukimitsu Kano, the grandson of Kodokan Judo's founder Jigoro Kano.

In 2008 the telegraph newspaper reported that “Russia's political strongman Vladimir Putin had promised to give judo lessons to the French President Nicolas Sarkozy.”

Teddy Roosevelt - US President

Teddy Roosevelt practised the sports of boxing and wrestling. He invitedYoshiaka Yamashita to the White House to demonstrate his judo technique against a wrestler.

President Roosevelt was so impressed that he began studying judo and become the first American to achieve a brown belt.

Shadow Foreign Secretary (& Ex-Conservative Leader) William Hague & Lord Sebastian Coe

Hague was branded indecisive and a bit of a weed almost when he became the Conservative leader in 1997

To help cope with the stress politics William Hague took up judo at the suggestion of his then chief of staff, Lord Sebastian Coe.

Both William Hague and Sebastian Coe were coached by Ray Stevens, British Olympic silver medalist, training at least three times a week. Sebastian Coe achieved a green belt and William Hague a blue belt.