The Pan American Judo Center Is Technically Visited by the Pan American Judo Confederation
Aiming at the Brazilian judo’s success in the 2016 Olympics, the Sports Ministry and the Government of Bahia, in partnership with the Brazilian Judo Confederation and the city hall of Lauro de Freitas, invested about R$ 33 million in building the Pan American Judo Center (PJC), located on Ipitanga beach. Last week, on June 18th, PJC was technically visited by the Pan American Judo Confederation and it is supposed to be one of the greatest legacies of Rio 2016.
The center covers a 20,000 m² area and it will be composed of three buildings, containing an air-conditioned gym with eight official training areas and four competition ones. It can house about two thousand people. It also provides an athletes’ preparation and physical recovery centre as well as a 325 parking spaces. Additionally, its administrative structure has a restaurant, a judo museum, a professional training center, a 200 people auditorium, a VIP room and a training center; it can also offer accommodation: ten suites, 12 twin rooms, eight four-bed rooms and a games room; pool; sports court; and a 100-m racetrack with four lanes for the athletes’ warming.
Besides being a place for the preparation of the judo athletes from the Pan-American countries who will take part in Rio 2016, PJC will host there the Avança Judo, a social project that cares for thousands of children from some states. Around 200 children and young people from public schools in Salvador and Lauro de Freitas will benefit from judo classes, which will help strengthen their citizenship and the state’s sport.
According to the president of the Pan American Judo Confederation, Paulo Wanderley, the project meets all the technical requirements of the International Judo Federation and it was built as a strategy for the country's performance in the competitions from 2016.
