It looks like the IJF has removed Mr. Vizer's statement but it's still available in cached form. I've copied and pasted the entire text so it doesn't get lost.
"Dear Judokas,
With regards to your worries towards the IJF decision to limit the migration of judokas to other sports and disciplines, I would like to make the following clarifications: IJF, the Continental Unions, the National Federations, as well as the Judo clubs made serious efforts in these past years on all levels, in order to support and participate in the development reform of our sport.
The International Judo Federation and its Member Federations have extensively invested in training and competition programs, setting up of structures, equipment donation and media coverage. All these investments must be preserved, like in any other sports, having in their rules a return toward the formative structures.
This extensive development program has an impact on the complexity of the competition program, the media and marketing strategy, the promotion, the IJF solidarity programs worth several million dollars every year, the Sports Department, the Refereeing Department, the Financial Department, Judo for Children, Judo for Schools, Judo for Peace, as well as prize money for athletes and coaches, all of this as part of an idea of radical change of our sport, reflected by the inclusion of Judo, for the first time in history, in the third category of Olympic Sports among the five existing categories and meanwhile having as major aim the introduction of the Team Event in the Judo Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
All our achievements, as well as our objective to have the team event for the first time in Tokyo 2020, strengthens our conviction that we must maintain our sport in a homogenous, unitary, clean and integral community, in order to achieve all our other objectives for the following period. Judo wishes to preserve its heritage.
It is important to remember that when wrestling was temporarily removed from the Olympic program, one of the reasons was also the fact that this sport assimilated the MMA community, Grappling and other disciplines.
IJF does not exclude collaboration and partnership with other combat sports disciplines, but these must be carried out within the limits of mutual advantages and without the migration of athletes from one community to the other. Some agreements were established with federations that specify the conditions of participation.
In this period of reforms and development of Judo, other sports and disciplines noticed our evolution and they showed to be more and more interested in attracted our athletes ready formed, due to the investments made by their clubs, their National Federations, their Continental Unions, as well as IJF, in order to benefit from their services and to generate financial benefits in the interests of certain leaders from other sports, as well as in order to promote the image of these sports through the performances of our athletes, achieved with a lot of efforts and hard work in the Judo competitions at all levels, as well as the Olympic Games. Moreover, private bodies of match organization exploit the work of our federations without any compensation.
At the same time, the migration of athletes to several sports would only represent a spiritual contamination of our sport once these athletes come back to Judo, a sport whose spirit and values were acquired and transmitted through generations, from Jigoro Kano onwards. We should not forget the history of Judo and the merits of all the heroes and legends of our sport.
Freedom is one of the supreme values of humanity and each of us is free to choose a path in life, just like I myself did, when I chose to immigrate to a free world in my youth, but we should not forget that before Freedom, Honor and Loyalty are primary values of any community or generation. The principles and values of our sport are more than enough for individual perfection, on a sports level as well as on the formational level for society.
The values of our sport, together with the Honor and Loyalty to Judo mean a lot more than a few extra dollars for which we could sell our identity and than a bleeding on inhuman face on various podiums of other sports that never made any efforts for the education and sports preparation of the athletes involved.
I can reassure you that the IJF decisions always serve the interests of our sport and our athletes, and that they preserve and continuously develop the values of Judo and the welfare and integrity of our community.
I consider that for all of us, Judo is the true path in life, in sport and in society.
We have to keep Judo strong and united!
With friendship,
Marius Vizer"
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Poor Mr. Vizer, someone will learn a lesson about setting a post aside until well-rested and/or sober.
