Sindelfingen
Sindelfingen is a suburb of Stuttgart, and is known as the German Detroit, except that Sindelfingen is a vibrantly green and leafy town of 60,000 people, half of whom are employed by Mercedes, whereas Detroit is a dying, crime-ridden city of burnt-out blocks and empty lots, where angels fear to tread in case they’re mugged and their wings ripped off and sold to second-hand repair dumps.
Sindelfingen was founded in 1263, when both judo and I were in our infancy. Last week I flew in from the Bagel for the world championships held in the ‘Glaspalast’ from 28 to 31 May. If last year’s championships were a success with 29 countries competing in Brussels, this year was a triumph for the Fatherland, as 50 nations sent in teams comprising 1,000 competitors.
Mind you, I knew I was in trouble the moment I saw some of the types at the weigh-in.
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