The earthquake and tsunami in Japan is devastating but the athletes at the training centre in Tokio are not in danger but have all experienced the shock differently.
German judoka Iljana Marzok: “Everyone is fine at the Women Training Camp (at the NTC) in Tokyo. We’re doing well.
We have all experienced it differently. The japanese continued with ne-waza randori later and everything was well organised.
After the first shock we have waited for an hour at a football field to wait what was going to happen. We also got the offer to stay the night at the NTC but they got offered us a transfer with a bus. Nevertheless the super markets are empty here now. You can still feel little shocks.”
Austrian Ludwig Paischer was fully aware of the shock. “Just after 14.30u the hotel room started to shake and the suitcase fell off the wardrobe and we just ran like many in front of our hotel in the city of Tokio. Nonetheless people stayed quiet and there was no panic.”
Turkish coach Ercan Çakıroğlu reports: “We’re all right here. Don’t worry about us. We have stayed the Kodokan Dojo.”
Photo by Iljana Marzok