Yves LeGal

Last updated
Yves LeGal
Personal information
BornParis, France
Sport
CountryCanada
Sport Judo
Rank    Hachidan (8th dan)
Club
  • Memorial University Judo Club
  • Nanaimo Judo Club

Yves M. LeGal is a French and Canadian judoka and retired professor of surgery who is considered the 'Father of Judo in Newfoundland and Labrador' for his work in developing and promoting judo in the province after moving there in 1968. He was Director of University Judo for Judo Canada, coached the Canadian University Judo Team, founded and served as President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Judo Association, and was inducted into the Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Judo Canada Hall of Fame in 2003. [1] [2] He also played a major role in the development of judo in Saskatchewan, serving as the chief instructor at six clubs and training 22 students to shodan (1st dan) in the province from 1953 to 1968. [3] Since retirement from Memorial University LeGal has moved to Vancouver Island and serves as an instructor at the Nanaimo Judo Club. [4]

Contents

Selected publications

Further reading

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judo in Canada</span> Overview of Judo in Canada

The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in Canada for over a century. The first long-term judo dojo in Canada, Tai Iku Dojo, was established by a Japanese immigrant named Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki in Vancouver in 1924. Sasaki and his students opened several branch schools in British Columbia and even trained RCMP officers until 1942, when Japanese Canadians were expelled from the Pacific coast and either interned or forced to move elsewhere in Canada due to fears that they were a threat to the country after Japan entered the Second World War. When the war was over, the government gave interned Japanese Canadians two options: resettle in Canada outside of the 'Japanese exclusion zone' or emigrate to Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shigetaka Sasaki</span> Japanese and Canadian judoka

Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki was a Japanese and Canadian judoka who founded the first judo club in Canada and is considered the 'Father of Canadian Judo'. After establishing the Tai Iku Dojo in Vancouver in 1924, Sasaki and his students opened several branch schools in British Columbia and also trained RCMP officers until 1942, when Japanese Canadians were expelled from the Pacific coast and either interned or forced to move elsewhere in Canada due to fears that they were a threat to the country after Japan entered the Second World War. When the war was over, the government required interned Japanese Canadians to either resettle in Canada outside of British Columbia's 'Japanese exclusion zone' or emigrate to Japan.

Mitchell Kawasaki is a Canadian wrestler and judoka. He competed in the men's Greco-Roman 48 kg at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and represented Canada at the World Judo Championships in 1971 and 1973. He is currently the chief instructor of Kawasaki Rendokan Judo Academy in Hamilton, Ontario, founded by his father Masao Kawasaki in 1958, and has held numerous positions in Judo Ontario and Judo Canada.

David Miller is a Canadian judoka who represented Canada in the 1995 World Judo Championships. He is currently the head instructor of the Annex Judo Academy, located in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, which he founded in 1997, and has taught judo and physical education at Royal St. George's College since 1999. Miller began practising judo in 1972 and later spent significant time studying judo in Japan, including 9 years at Tokai University under Nobuyuki Sato and Yasuhiro Yamashita.

Vincent Grifo is a Canadian judoka who represented Canada in the 1969 World Judo Championships in the -80 kg category. He also coached the Canadian Olympic judo team in 1984, was an Olympic referee in 1980, 1988, and 1992, was President of Judo Canada from 2008-2012, and was added to the Judo Canada Hall of Fame in 2005. He is currently the technical director at the Club de judo Métropolitain in Montreal, Quebec, which he founded in 1968.

Raymond Damblant is a French and Canadian judoka, one of only five Canadian judoka to achieve the rank of kudan, and has been deeply involved in the development of Canadian Judo, especially in Quebec. He has refereed at three Olympics and six World Judo Championships, coached the Canadian judo team on multiple occasions, held multiple positions on Judo Canada's executive committee, served as the founding President of Judo Quebec, and was inducted into the Judo Canada Hall of Fame in 1996.

Hiroshi Nakamura is a Japanese and Canadian judoka, one of only five Canadian judoka to achieve the rank of Kudan, and has been deeply involved in the development of Canadian Judo. He has coached the Olympic judo team five times, was inducted into the Judo Canada Hall of Fame in 1998, was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2013, and was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Committee Hall of Fame in 2019. In 2023, he was awarded the Order of Sport, marking his induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Nakamura trains future Olympians at the Shidokan Judo Club, a training club that he opened in 1973.

Yeiji "Lanky" Inouye was a Canadian judoka, is one of only five Canadian judoka to achieve the rank of Kudan, and was deeply involved in the development of judo in Canada. He was President of Judo British Columbia, Coach for the 1969 Canadian World Judo Championships team, Chairman of the National Grading Board, inducted into the Judo Canada Hall of Fame in 2001, and inducted into the Victoria Hall of Fame in 2018. Inouye co-founded the Victoria Judo Club in 1957.

Yuzuru "Jim" Kojima is a Canadian judoka who has been deeply involved in the development of Canadian Judo, and was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1983 and decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2011 for his efforts. He has been the President of Judo Canada, Director of the International Judo Federation Referee Commission, Chair of the 1993 World Judo Championships in Hamilton, Ontario, and was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

Goki Uemura is a Canadian judoka who represented Canada in the 1973 World Judo Championships in the -70 kg category. He is one of just seventeen Canadian judoka to achieve the rank of hachidan and co-founded the Shin Bu Kan Judo Club in Etobicoke, Ontario in 1982, which later relocated in Mississauga, Ontario and is now also known as the Mississauga Judo Club.

Duncan Vignale is a Canadian judoka who has played a significant role in the development of judo in Canada and especially Ontario. He has held several important positions such as President of Judo Ontario and Vice-President of Judo Canada, coached the Ontario judo team, and served as a kata judge for the International Judo Federation. He won the Syl Apps Special Achievement Award in 2011, was made a Lifetime Member of Judo Ontario in 2013, and is one of just seventeen Canadian judoka to achieve the rank of hachidan. Vignale was also selected as an alternate to Doug Rogers for the 1964 Summer Olympics.

The Japanese martial art judo has been practised in Yukon, Canada since at least 1950.

Carl "Dutchie" Schell was a Canadian judoka who played a significant role in the development of judo in Canada, especially New Brunswick. Schell established the first judo club in New Brunswick at the Saint John YMCA in 1958, then co-founded the Shimpokai Judo Club with Harry Thomas, John Crawford, Doug Kearns, and Ken Meeting in Saint John in 1959. He also founded the New Brunswick Kodokan Black Belt Association in 1961, served as its President and in other executive roles, served as Atlantic vice-president of Judo Canada, and coached the New Brunswick judo team. Schell was inducted into the Saint John Sports Hall of Fame in 2000, the Judo Canada Hall of Fame in 2003, and the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in the Canadian province of British Columbia since the early 1900s, and it was the only place in the country where judo was practised prior to the Second World War. The first long-term judo dojo in Canada, Tai Iku Dojo, was established by a Japanese immigrant named Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki in Vancouver in 1924. Sasaki and his students opened several branch schools in British Columbia and even trained RCMP officers until 1942, when Japanese Canadians were expelled from the Pacific coast and either interned or forced to move elsewhere in Canada due to fears that they were a threat to the country after Japan entered the Second World War. When the war was over, the government gave interned Japanese Canadians two options: resettle in Canada outside of British Columbia or emigrate to Japan. Some returned to the Pacific coast after 1949, but most found new homes in other provinces. Those that did return, many of whom were fishermen, worked hard to rebuild the community that they had lost, and today there are about 50 judo clubs throughout the province.

The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in the Canadian province of New Brunswick since 1955.

The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in the Canadian province of Ontario since 1942.

The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in the Canadian province of Quebec since 1946.

The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in the Canadian province of Alberta since 1943.

The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in the Canadian province of Manitoba since the 1940s.

References

  1. Gill, Nicolas; Leyshon, Glynn (2019). Judoka: The History of Judo in Canada (Second ed.). Montreal: Marcel Broquet. pp. 126–27.
  2. "Dr. Yves LeGal - Athlete/Builder". Sport NL. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  3. "About the Moose Jaw Koseikan Judo Club". Moose Jaw Koseikan Judo Club. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  4. Gill, Nicolas; Leyshon, Glynn (2019). Judoka: The History of Judo in Canada (Second ed.). Montreal: Marcel Broquet. p. 127.