In a significant step towards developing cooperation between the sporting and law enforcement communities, a memorandum of understanding was signed by Dr Tóth László, President of the European Judo Union; Vladimir Trpanoski, President of the Judo Federation of North Macedonia; and Panche Toshkovski, Minister of Interior of the Republic of North Macedonia.
The memorandum, which specifically supports the police force of the Republic of North Macedonia through judo-related activities, was signed following the official opening ceremony of the Millennium Team European Judo Championships Cadets Skopje 2025. It outlines a shared commitment to deepening collaboration across several strategic areas, including but not limited to the following:
- Coordinate on security planning and protocols for major judo events hosted in North Macedonia.
- Facilitate cross-training or information-sharing sessions between EJU event staff and police forces.
- Share expertise on discipline, leadership, and training methodologies between judo coaches and police trainers.
- Facilitate mutual observation visits, study tours and pilot projects.
Minister Toshkovski addressed the significance of the agreement in his statement:
“First of all, I would like to thank very much for the support from the European Judo Union, for the tatamis and for the kimonos. It is a great honour for us to be a part of this whole organisation, and it is a great honour for us to have this kind of excellent cooperation with the EJU. This kind of support is symbolic, but it is very important for us. I hope that in the future we will have excellent coordination and cooperation in the practical trainings we discussed with the President.
“Thank very much to the President personally, that he is focused on helping my country. For the police officers and the military in Macedonia, it will be excellent to have concrete cooperation with the European Judo Union. I hope that, in the future, we may have the opportunity to host these kinds of events again, not only cadet championships, but perhaps even the senior European Championships.
“We have the idea to implement high school in the police from 2026, I hope, and I hope that this kind of skills, like judo, can be implemented directly in the high school curriculum. We also hope that judo will become one of the core components in the permanent training programmes at our Police Academy and throughout all police activities over the years. For us, it is very important to have this kind of training in the future, and I believe that this kind of cooperation will be crucial in the years ahead for the Ministry of Interior in Macedonia.
“Throught this support, the professional skills of police officers will reach the next level with the implementation of judo in their everyday training. Because of that, we are glad to have the chance to organise trainings in the future with professionals from the EJU.”
Dr Toth, EJU President also shared his views afterwards:
“This marks a new initiative, as it is the first time we are entering into such an agreement with a national authority. I am confident that this memorandum will serve as a strong foundation for the future development of structured programmes involving the military, police, and other uniformed services within the framework of sport. As of next year, the inaugural European Championships for military and police are planned to take place in the United Kingdom. Discussions are already under way to bring the event to North Macedonia in 2027, where they would serve as the host nation.”
During the opening ceremony of the event, alongside this important moment, we also witnessed the presence of other distinguished guests, including Borko Ristovski, Minister of Sport of the Republic of North Macedonia. A gift of appreciation was presented during the ceremony in recognition of the support provided in organising this event.
Author: Szandra Szogedi