An honorary distinction, as the oldest judoka who participated in the World Veteran Championship, was given to Nikos Klouvatos by the International Judo Federation.
His interview, as published on the official IJF site
Nikolaos Klouvatos is a judoka like millions of others around the world... Maybe not completely. Born in 1929 in Athens, he was the oldest judoka at the World Veterans Championship in Abu Dhabi 2023. He still has passion and from the beginning announces that he will be "present" next year at the 2024 event.
"I started doing judo around 1965 in Greece. I have always loved all sports, but judo was special and always attracted and interested me. There were many clubs near the house. The nearest was 500 meters away, the furthest 3 km. I chose the latter and walked there. I quickly realized that judo was a complete sport that allowed me to develop the whole body. There are 206 bones and 570 muscles in the human body. Judo allows you to develop them all equally. It's incredible when you think about it. Apart from this, judo also allows you how to improve the mind and learn useful values on a daily basis. We also learn right and left technique. What other activity offers so many possibilities? Even today I practice it twice a week. Last year I was going to the dojo 4 times a week but a little back pain slowed me down a bit. I really like watching judo. There is always something to learn. It makes me smile when others say, "Look, he's still doing judo."
My kids also do judo. All sports are important for health. Beyond the physical exercise, there are also the friendships we can build in judo. We grow a little more every time we step on the tatami mat. I also like all the respect around us. We bow before we get on the mat, we bow to our partner before and after the match, whatever the result.
I truly believe that judo is not a place where you compete, but truly a place where you learn.
I was an aeronautical engineer but my free time was devoted to judo and its development. I am very happy to have contributed to the development of women's practice. In my country, I was the first to invite women to the tatami. I also participated in writing the judo rules in Greece. I have been a coach for years and am still happy to share my experience. I am a low profile person. I don't like to show off, but I'm happy to share, always."
