A few weeks ago, Dr Tsegaye Degineh was appointed to the IJF Judo for Peace Commission, marking an important milestone in a life dedicated to sport, values and international understanding. Dr Degineh is Board President of the Ethiopian Judo Association. Although he leads the federation from Germany primarily, he remains closely connected to Ethiopia and is present whenever key decisions or developments require his involvement. Having lived in Germany for 37 years, he is fully integrated and widely respected for his exemplary civic engagement and voluntary service.
Dr Tsegaye Degineh
His commitment has not gone unnoticed. In 2021, Dr Degineh was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon, one of the highest honours of the Federal Republic of Germany. The award recognised his role as a bridge-builder between Africa and Europe, Ethiopia and Germany, as well as his outstanding sporting and voluntary contributions across multiple fields.
At the age of twenty, Tsegaye Degineh arrived in Germany on a scholarship. After completing a preparatory year focused on language acquisition, he began his academic journey in 1989, first studying in Zwickau before moving to Humboldt University in Berlin, where he completed a degree in business administration. He later earned a doctorate in economics, graduating magna cum laude. Professionally, he spent many years in project management at Daimler-Benz and today works as a sustainability officer within the company’s human resources division in Germany.
Dr Tsegaye Degineh and Johannes Daxbacher
His personal path into judo began in Germany, driven by a general affinity for martial arts. The decisive chapter for judo in Ethiopia started in 2010. While Johannes Daxbacher was visiting the country on an international judo mission, Dr Degineh voluntarily held seminars on project management in his home country. Through contacts with the Ministry of Sport, Mr Daxbacher was asked to deliver a judo training session for the police in Addis Ababa, conducted outdoors on grass. The response was overwhelmingly positive. This moment proved to be a catalyst. Through close co-operation with Johannes Daxbacher and his wife Regina, whose international judo expertise played a crucial role, judo began to take root in Ethiopia. Numerous seminars and training courses followed, both in Addis Ababa and in other regions of the country.
Together, Dr Degineh and the Daxbachers supported the establishment of twelve judo clubs and, in 2010, founded the Ethiopian Judo and Ju-Jitsu Association. Dr Degineh remains its founding president. “Leading a federation is not easy,” he says. “But judo has taught me calmness and resilience, even when dealing with unpredictable circumstances.”
He is particularly proud that Ethiopia became a member of the IJF in 2011 and that, in the same year, two Ethiopian athletes competed at the world championships at the invitation of IJF President Marius Vizer. For Dr Degineh, judo is above all a tool for values education and for preparing people for life beyond the tatami.
The development of judo in Ethiopia was supported strongly by the German judo community, which provided judogi and mats. Dr Degineh remains deeply grateful for this assistance. He also helped bring expatriate judoka together from many nations, united by the shared aim of strengthening judo locally while living its universal spirit.
In 2023, Dr Degineh was honoured in Ethiopia with the Good Person of the Year award, a recognition he accepted with humility and pride. In Germany, he continues to see civic engagement as a responsibility, serving as an honorary judge at the Administrative Court and as a member of the German-African Foundation.
His appointment as an IJF commissioner for Judo for Peace came as a surprise but also as a natural continuation of his work. In addition to his role within the African Judo Union, he maintains close relationships with judo leaders across the continent. “Sport brings people together, regardless of origin, status or religion,” he says. “There is still much to be done.”
Dr Degineh was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon.
Supported by his family, Dr Degineh stands firmly between cultures and nations.
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“In Ethiopia, I advocate for Germany and in Germany I advocate for Ethiopia. Dialogue is essential, including on the mat.”
Dr Degineh