24 teams from 16 countries have been entered for the European Team Championships 2013. 15 men teams and 9 women’s teams will compete on Sunday starting at 9.30 at Papp Laszlo Arena in Budapest.
EJU Vice President Michal Vachun conducted the draw. In the women’s event, three medalists from 2012 are competing again. Defending Champion Russia first will meet Austria. The Netherlands and Hungary are also in this pool. 17-time European Team Champion France, the most successful nation in the team event, is aiming to recapture the title lost to Russia last year. The French will have to deal first with Croatia and also have 2012 European bronze medalists Germany, the Ukraine and Slovenia on their side of the draw.
In the men’s event, Georgia is looking to defend their team title from 2012. The Georgians have won the title five times so far since they are competing as an independent country. On their way to the final, the Georgians will first have to deal with either Hungary or Latvia. Poland, Italy, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands are also on their side of the draw.
2012 team silver medalist Russia is hoping to add a fourth team title to their resume. The Russians first will face Azerbaijan. Belarus, Slovenia, the Ukraine, Austria, France and Germany are on their side of the draw. The French men are still the most successful team in history with 17 titles, but their last title dates back to 2004 and they finished off the podium last year in Chelyabinsk.
The team event features the following weight categories: -66kg, -73kg, -81kg -90kg and +90kg for men and -52kg, -57kg, -63kg, -70kg and +70kg for women. There is a weight tolerance of two kilograms. The deadline for naming the competitors to teams is Sunday before the event.
Download the draw below.