Today was the official opening for the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Judo Club Fornaci di Barga
A bronze statue dedicated to judo was unveiled in Fornaci di Barga in the piazza del Tricolore (piazza della stazione) just outside the railway station. (full article here)
As you can hear in the interview (in Italiano) at the end of this article with the director of the Judo Club Fornaci di Barga, dott Ivano Carlesi, the life-size bronze statue by Stefano Pierotti cast at the Da Prato foundry in Pietrasanta is there to honour the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Judo Club Fornaci di Barga and the four generations of students who have since passed through their doors.
Also present at the celebrations was Dott. Oscar Bartol, a freelance journalist now living in Washington DC USA who was one of the founder members of the Judo Club Fornaci di Barga back in 1963 (he too talks at length (in Italiano) in the interview about the position and need for judo in society in the past and its importance in modern life today.
In the evening the gala celebrations continued with the presentation of dott Ivano Carlesi new book “Judo Club Fornaci 50 anni di vita, 50 anni di amore per lo sport”
dott Ivano Carlesi and dott. Oscar Bartoli talking about the importance of Judo in modern life
Images by Alessandra Magnani