Dear Judo Family! It is time for you to get involved and nominate an athlete for the EJU Fair Play Award. On the initiative of EJU President Dr László Tóth, the EJU Fair Play Commission was founded in autumn 2022, with the two co-chairs Giorgi Atabegashvili (GEO) and Gábor Deregán…
31 January 2023Finland is one of the Nordic countries, also called Suomi by those who speak the local language. The country which is characterised by lakes and forests is considered to be the happiest country in the world with the population a little over 5.5m, out of which approximately 4000 people are practicing judo. …
30 January 2023Almada Grand Prix 2023 - Almada, Portugal
Closing the first IJF World Tour event of the year, Portugal hailed yet another champion as Patricia SAMPAIO (POR) fought for glory in the -78kg category. It wasn’t an easy day for the Portuguese athlete, holding down the fort and defeating both of the Republic of Korea contenders in her…
29 January 2023Almada Grand Prix 2023 - Almada, Portugal
On the second day of the Almada Grand Prix 2023 in Portugal, the home crowd had reason to celebrate thanks to a gold medal win from their -63kg heroine, Barbara TIMO. In Timo’s quarter she found herself, as one of the seeded athletes, with a first round bye and made…
28 January 2023Almada Grand Prix 2023 - Almada, Portugal
Day one of the Almada Grand Prix provided some tremendous performances and a stellar start to the IJF World Tour 2023. Though Europe picked up five of the eight available medals in the first two categories (-48kg and -60kg), the gold success stories went to Kazakhstan and Japan respectively. Then…
27 January 2023Almada Grand Prix 2023 - Almada, Portugal
The draw is up and we are ready for the first stop of the IJF World Tour 2023 in Almada, Portugal. An incredible entry of 544 athletes from 81 nations will be competing for the medals as well as the all-important qualification points as the Olympic Games is fast approaching.…
26 January 2023Almada Grand Prix 2023 - Almada, Portugal
Kosovan head coach Driton “Toni” Kuka has always been of a positive nature, but for many years he did not have the general framework and the necessary funding. In 2023 life is different for the 51-year-old. The workaholic and self-made success coach does not need to be a one-man-show anymore.…
26 January 2023Almada Grand Prix 2023 - Almada, Portugal
With the draw looming tomorrow for the Almada Grand Prix in Portugal, we can see who will and won’t be competing from the Portuguese team. Originally we were looking forward to the Portuguese team captain and six-time European champion, Telma MONTEIRO taking the stage at the first event of the…
25 January 2023Almada Grand Prix 2023 - Almada, Portugal
Following the Tokyo Olympic Cycle, world bronze medallist, Anri EGUTIDZE (POR) decided that he would give the -90kg category a try as his weight was sitting quite high for his usual -81kg competition and for this reason it made sense. So why has he made the decision to make a…
24 January 2023Almada Grand Prix 2023 - Almada, Portugal
In 2022, Portugal were the newest addition to the IJF World Judo Tour, already kickstarting the year with 300 athletes from 41 nations arriving to compete, however, the subscription this year is something entirely different. Discussing this with EJU Head Sport Director Catarina RODRIGUES, she explains that the Portuguese federation…
23 January 2023We have already exposed a short history of Malta judo as we recently introduced current top female judoka of ‘the rock’, Katryna ESPOSITO. Today, we will meet up with top male judoka from this beautiful archipelago. This humbled gentleman seeks no fame but hard work as he writes history for his country, one…
22 January 2023The European Judo Union is made of 51 members, one of which is the National Judo Federation of Malta (MJA). According to the MJA, judo was somewhat unknown in Malta until the 1950s. The little judo that was practiced was more a discipline than a sport and it was not until…
21 January 2023Many will know Andrea EMBER from the IJF World Judo Tour but for those who don’t, Ember is the Anti-Doping Coordinator within the IJF Medical Commission, let’s get to know her a little better. What path brought you in to this sector? By degree I am a physical education teacher,…
21 January 2023Safe Fall-Safe Schools is an educational programme, based on judo (ukemis), methodologically developed through scientific research, to teach children how to fall safely and securely. The World Health Organization (2021) points out that falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury and deaths worldwide. This figure comes from the…
20 January 2023There were many teams present for the Mittersill OTC, but one team was missed which includes two of the number one ranked athletes in the world; Lucy RENSHALL and Chelsie GILES. The latter has had a truly incredible few years, acquiring major tournament medals across the board; Olympic bronze in…
19 January 2023Everyone was relieved to head home as the OTC in Mittersill has officially come to an end. However, no one would have been more delighted then Serbia’s Strahinja BUNČIĆ as he practically went from the delivery room to Austria, whilst admiring his second born via some photos. The newest addition to…
18 January 2023I don’t just want to qualify, I want to be at the top. Sami CHOUCHI (BEL) officially announced yesterday, that rather than finding him in the usual seeded place of the -81kg category during the Portugal Grand Prix, we need to look a bit further to the -90kg, his new…
17 January 2023Mittersill EJU OTC 2023 - Mittersill, Austria
Last week we had the opportunity to witness the successful OTC held in Mittersill. Where better to start the year, than in the place where the best of the best have been gathering since the first training camp in 1993. Many generations have passed through the “Kogler” sports hall including…
17 January 2023
Paris Grand Slam 2023