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Article: SHIFTING THE COLOR OF JUDO JAPAN TO ALLOW BLUE UNIFORMS.(Sports)
- Article from:
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Article date:
- January 6, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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It's enough to make Jigoro Kano turn over in his grave.
Kano established modern judo in 1882, and the Japanese judo world has religiously adhered to his precepts. One sacred tradition has been that judo uniforms should be white, signifying purity and cleanliness.
But last month, bowing to pressure from Europe to liven up the sport for TV, the All Japan Judo Federation reluctantly agreed to allow its athletes to compete on a trial basis in some European tournaments this year wearing - gasp - blue uniforms.
European judo officials contend that colored uniforms will not only liven up the sport, but will also make it easier for viewers to tell one ...