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Dr. Vladimir Jorga July 10, 1939 – August 15, 2024
It was with shock and great sadness that I received the news of Dr. Vladimir Jorga’s passing. It created a tear in my universe as for many decades he and I had walked the path of ITKF. To say that Dr. Vladimir Jorga was a strong and dominant figure in the world of Traditional Karate does not do justice to the contributions he made, the lives he influenced and the students he taught throughout their ranks.
I first met him and his brother Ilja in the late ‘70s when all of us were much younger men. Indeed, the pet greeting I heard from him each time we met, regardless of the age we had reached was always “Hello, young man!” Even as I passed my 70th year, he greeted me in the same way. He loved to compare himself to a polar bear. It became a running joke between us to the point I gave him a T-shirt which was 3 black dots indicating a Canadian Polar Bear in a snowstorm. He wore it so often, I had to get him a replacement!
We shared many experiences in the struggle to maintain the path of the martial art of Traditional Karate as a path of holistic human development against the pushback of those who wished to focus only on competition and the spectacle of combat fighting techniques. Indeed, there are few who know that Dr. Jorga was elected Vice President of WUKO (now known as WKF) when it was first formed in 1970. In 1974, when there was strong disagreement over the rule changes being made to accommodate the pursuit of the Olympic recognition, he resigned WUKO to assist Sensei Nishiyama and many of the Japanese Masters to for IAKF (now known as ITKF). From that point forward he never waivered from his support of Sensei Nishiyama and the ITKF vision he had to preserve the art of Traditional Karate. I was fortunate to come to know him a short few years later. From that point onward, we formed a bond of friendship and respect that continued until his untimely passing
Even through the fractures of the ITKF that have taken place over the past decade, he remained a constant figure in the furtherance of the original ITKF formed at the hand of Sensei Nishiyama and remains true to his organizational vision to this day in his role as its Executive President. And, while we did not always agree, he and I were always able to find a way to continue to communicate and resolve issues and overcome any obstacles that arose. Dr Jorga was a mentor and true friend.
His passing will leave a hole in all our hearts. Thousands around the world will feel the pain of his loss and miss his presence. My commitment to him will remain the same, to continue the pursuit of the preservation of Traditional Karate as a path of holistic human development. I am sure I will hear his voice as he helps continue this task. I hope that we can continue to support his work and effort. On behalf of the ITKF and myself I offer sincere condolences to his family and in particular his daughter, daughter in law and brother Ilja. He will be missed by all.
Goodbye, my friend.
Richard Jorgensen, Chairman
International Traditional Karate Federation