Known as “the father of Judo in Panama”, Aurelio Chu Yi represented his country in the lightweight division at the inaugural judo tournament at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. There, he was eliminated in round one after losing his bout to Eric Hänni of Switzerland, the eventual silver medalist, but this is still considered the best result by a Panamanian judoka as of 2016. He later worked as a university professor, but also founded a judo school and served as president of the national judo federation. He also had connections to high political figures in Panama, including Manuel Noriega, and served as ambassador of Panama to Taiwan from January 1986 to May 1990.
Panama