EJU President László TOTH points his thumb upwards and smiles. “MERCI, MONTPELLIER, MERCI, FRANCE. These three days were the best advertisement for European judo and for Judo France. The athletes had fun, the spectators were thrilled. That’s how JUDO works. I would say that these were the best European Judo Championships in history. We can already look forward to the next events in France, especially Paris 2024.”
The figures speak for themselves: 8 nations won at least one European Championship title, with a total of 20 countries in the medals table. 9 world number ones and 12 defending champions (from Sofia) competed, five (Boukli, Gahie, Böhm, Dicko, Heydarov) defended their title. France once again took victory in the Nations Championships – with nine medals (five gold), one more than in 2022.
“The level of the fights was more than worthy of the European Championships. The starting line-up was really impressive – including 19 individual, neutral athletes and six IJF refugees. And the number of spectators was also record-breaking – with about 18,000. France was a top host. We all enjoyed the days in Montpellier,” enthused the EJU President. “We have already held initial talks with FFDJA President Nomis about future events in France. France is the best judo organiser in the world.”
Author: EJU Media