Following the Veteran World Championships, Las Vegas is ready to welcome kata practitioners from across the globe for the eagerly awaited World Kata Judo Championships 2024, set to take place from 9-10 November. With over 280 judoka from 32 countries, including 20 European nations, this championship promises a vibrant showcase of form, skills and tradition in judo.
Among the most popular forms of kata at this year’s event, the Kodokan Goshin-Jutsu saw the largest number of entries, closely followed by Nage-no-Kata. Other well-represented forms include Katame-no-Kata and Kime-no-Kata, each with 36 judoka competing, divided into 18 pairs.
Dr. Slavisa BRADIC, the EJU Head Kata Commissioner, highlighted Europe’s strong presence, with European judoka making up approximately 160 of the 285 competitors. This substantial turnout is a testament to Europe’s commitment to kata, reflecting a growing investment and competition quality.
At the upcoming World Kata Championship in Las Vegas, the European Judo Union can proudly point out that it is the most represented in terms of the number of participants. What is even more important to highlight is that in all competitive kata, our competitors are strong candidates for winning medals.
Among the representatives of European countries at this World Kata Championship are top competitors who have already won World medals. The organisation of the EJU Kata Tour, which raised the kata competition to a higher level in terms of quality and popularisation, certainly contributed to the calibre of the European kata competitors. Among the most numerous European countries are Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. However, we should not overlook other European countries with fewer participants, who are also strong candidates for winning medals. We can proudly acknowledge that the European Judo Union, along with Japan, is a leader in quality and I am sure the results will show.
As Europe prepares to stand out alongside Japan in terms of skill, all eyes are on the European judoka, who hope to shine on the world stage once again. You can follow all the action live online via judotv.com.
Program
*The start time will be confirmed once the final number of athletes is known.
Author: Szandra Szogedi