In Gdańsk, Poland, the Get Together circuit welcomed a fresh debut. Representing Portugal, coach Antonio Costa arrived from Aveiro with three of his athletes, all with Down syndrome, ready to step onto the tatami for the first time at this international event. Costa shared with us the path that drew him to this movement and how it has shaped his perspective on coaching and life.
“I didn’t look for Adapted Judo, Adapted Judo found me,” Costa recalls. “My athletes are part of an institution for people with intellectual disabilities, and one day they invited me to teach judo there. I said yes immediately but when I went home, I thought: ‘I don’t know what I am doing. This is crazy.’ Still, that’s who I am, I say yes first, and then figure it out the rest and I am glad I did.”
That leap of faith would change his life.
“At first, I had no confidence but the experience opened my mind completely. Many people think it’s not possible for people with Down syndrome or other disabilities to do judo but that’s not true. They can do the same techniques as anyone else. The barriers weren’t in them; the barriers were in me, it is in us. I had to learn to remove those barriers.”
Costa has now been involved in Adapted Judo for nearly a decade. Alongside his mainstream coaching and administrative role in the city council in Aveiro, he continues to guide athletes with intellectual disabilities. On his first participation in a Get Together event, he noted:
““It’s enriching. It’s wonderful,” he says. “The way it’s organised here is very detailed, different from Portugal. In the beginning, I never imagined some of my athletes could compete but with patience, training, and trust, I realised they can and they want to.”
Costa suggested that his experience in Gdańsk sparked the idea of one day hosting such an event in his hometown. Yet the lesson remains clear: Adapted Judo is not a separate path but an integral part of the same judo journey. As Costa reflected amongst his final remarks;
‘When we dream, we create and here in Gdańsk, that dream has been validated. For me, it’s like a dream come true to see my athletes on the mat, competing, smiling, and being part of this family.’”
Author: Szandra Szogedi