Disabled Dutch woman brings Aikido spirit to Beijing

By Chu Meng

Martial arts are supposed to display the physical beauty of bodies in motion. Lydia La Rivière Zijdel, a disabled Dutch woman, is proving that this applies even for those in wheelchairs.

Zijdel, 59, performed Tuesday at the first annual Sportaccord Combat Games at Beijing’s China Agriculture University. She is a specialist at Aikido, a Japanese martial art often translated as “the way of harmonious spirit.”

A car accident in the early ’80s left Zijdel wheelchair-bound but launched her career in disability services. She became a disability activist and received a master’s degree in psychotherapy and disability studies from the UK.

Today, Zijdel is the highest ranked wheelchair martial artist in the world, holding a third-degree black belt in karate and first-degree black belt in Aikido. She is also a tennis player and long-distance wheeler.
When asked about the spirit of Aikido, Zijdel spoke about her understanding of martial arts in general. “The strongest person is one that does not fight,” she said, pointing out that the original aim of the Combat Games is to spread the message of martial arts to create a peaceful world.
“Those who rely on physical strength are doomed to be on the receiving end [of violence],” Zijdel said. “I have already learned that the Chinese character for martial arts, wu, was created in the same manner as a character that means ‘stop fighting.’”
Zijdel is frequently asked to speak at conferences and academic institutions around the world because of her expertise in gender and disability issues. As an international consultant, she works for a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations, including the International Paralympic Committee.

Over the past 20 years, Zijdel has taught self-defense to more than 10,000 disabled women worldwide as part of martial arts and empowerment training. Under her guidance, hundreds of international martial arts teachers have learned how to teach disabled people.

Her efforts have given coaches and trainers insight on how to integrate the disabled into mainstream sports activities. Her latest efforts have focused on countries in Africa and Asia.

Zijdel also has a longstanding political career. In addition to participating in local politics, she is the founder and chair of the European Disability Forum’s Standing Committee for disabled women, which is a branch under the EU.