1/20/03
On January 20th, 2003 Nippon Kan was host to the Founder of Aikido in Mongolia, Mr. Damdinpurev. The history of Aikido in Mongolia began with the fall of Russian Communist rule in 1991. As Mongolia began to emerge as a democratic nation, so began the practice of Aikido in this distant land. The first fledging practice was held in the basement of an apartment building left over from the Russian era of totalitarian architecture in 1993. The following year a Japanese instructor was sent to Ulaanbaatar from Japan’s Internation Cooperation Agency (JICA) to teach Aikido. In 1996 Mr. Damdinpurev obtained official status and licensing for Aikido from the Mongolian Government, and the organization began to grow. Last year in 2002, JICA donated $4,000.00 US to help build a new facility for the new Mongolian Aikido Federation of Mongolia.
Mr. Damdinpurev’s visit to Nippon Kan helped to further cement relations between Nippon Kan and the Capitol City of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. At this meeting, ways to unite Nippon Kan’s orphanage support projects in Ulaanbaatar with this capital city’s Aikido Federation were discussed. Currently at Nippon Kan in Denver, there are Mongolian students who train on a regular basis. The goal is to have these students work with the Aikido Federation in Mongolia upon their return to their country. On this visit, Mr. Damdinpurev was welcomed by Nippon Kan students and leaders of the Denver Mongolian Community with a little Mongolian hospitality of our own.