Some young people carry a light so gentle, so instinctively kind, that it softens the world the moment they step into it. Tibor, 15, is one of those rare souls. He walks through life with the quiet grace of someone whose first instinct is always to help, to comfort, to give. Those around him speak of him as though he were a legend in the making, yet he wears that kindness with absolute humility.
Today, at the Houlgate Get Together tournament, that light was recognised in the most profound way. Moments before the medal ceremony, in front of his family, friends, and hundreds from the adapted judo community, Tibor received the EJU Fair Play Award 2024. The hall rose to its feet in a long, emotional standing ovation, an ovation not for victory on the tatami but for the purity of a young man’s heart.
His weekend in Houlgate included competing in the Level 4 –90 kg category but nothing could compare to the moment the story of his kindness was retold, and the crowd realised who stood before them, a modest, gentle, a little shy, and utterly deserving young man. Tibor spoke about this magical moment afterwards.
“I feel very well and I am so happy. Receiving this recognition is the best moment in my life, and when they started telling the story of the kind act, I realised it was me.”
The act he speaks about took place in Velika Gorica in June 2024, during the final bout of his category. What happened next would become the reason for today’s honour.
“I saw my opponent start crying. I realised I was so sad for him and then I decided to lose the battle because it was more important to him. For me, the medal and the win were not important. I wanted to show how I am a good guy.”
There was nothing calculated about it, no audience, no cameras, no expectation. Just a 15-year-old boy who could not bear to see another child in distress. He continued, his voice filled with pride.
“Judo means everything. Not just sport and winning. Everything. People, family, love, friendship and others. I want to say thank you all. Thank you all for the Fair Play Award.”
Among those standing and applauding were his parents, Kristina and Roman, who watched their son’s moment unfold with eyes full of tears and hearts full of pride. Kristina shared the depth of the moment:
“It was an amazing moment. I thought I wasn’t going to cry because I knew the whole story and we knew about the award a month ago. We were very happy, very excited. We wanted to come here to this tournament so that we could see the presentation but this was overwhelming… I just couldn’t stop the tears.”
She spoke openly about Tibor’s journey:
“Tibor has autism. This adapted judo family means a lot to us. He has been training for five and a half years now and it has made a great change in him. He feels much more confident since he started practising judo. He has made a lot of great friends. He adores his trainers, listens to them and it has improved his concentration, his behaviour, everything.”
For Tibor, judo is a world he can confidently call his own. For his family, it has become a lifeline of community and connection. Kristina continued:
“It is very important for him to have something he relates to, something he loves but also something he feels responsible for and it is important for us as a family too. We are all involved now, the parents, the trainers, everybody, we are now like a family. It has made a huge, huge change.”
They were not a sporting family before Tibor began at Judo Club Ishi.
“None of us did sports before, just hiking and cycling. Now we follow judo, we are learning the sport with him and it is wonderful. Truly like a family.”
A boy who chose compassion over victory now carries a memory that will stay with him forever and everyone who witnessed it will carry a little of that light too. Tibor came to the tatami as an athlete. He left it today as an example to us all.
Author: Szandra Szogedi