László TOTH had many roles to fill at the Hungary World Judo Masters in Budapest. He was host, chief organiser, President of the Hungarian Judo Federation and the European Judo Union in personal union. On Tuesday morning, the EJU President took time for a final assessment.
How satisfied are you as the chief organiser of the Hungarian World Judo Masters?
László Tóth: “We are very satisfied, that goes for the Hungarian Federation, that also goes for the European Judo Union. And it moreover applies to me personally as a judo fan. I really enjoyed the three days of world class judo. To be honest, I have never received so much positive feedback after an event. What pleases me most is that not only the heads of delegation of the 59 nations are truly happy, but also all the athletes, coaches and referees. There can’t be a nicer compliment.”
What is the sporting balance from the host’s point of view?
Tóth: “It was a great opportunity for Hungary to have two competitors in each weight category. Of course, this helps us in our sporting development. Our national coaches are absolutely satisfied with the sporting development of our top aces. We can live with the fact that we just missed out on a medal this time, with a fifth and seventh place each. It has been shown once again that the Masters is probably the toughest tournament in terms of sporting level. You can’t afford to have any lapses in concentration or take a breather. It was striking that only one world champion, Inbar, could also prevail at the Masters.”
Europe took seven of the top 10 places in the medal table and won a total of 8 out of a possible 14 titles. Can the EJU President be proud?
Tóth: “We had an intra-Georgian and an all-French final, a total of 30 medals for nine European nations, eight of them in gold. Personally, I was most pleased with the historic victory for Finland in the men’s heavyweight. It is proof that the EJU support for small and medium judo nations in the form of projects and financial means is paying off. Furthermore, it has once again been shown that we Europeans are harder to beat in our own contingent than, for example abroad in Asia, Africa or Pan America. This should also make us feel positive with regard to the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.”
Author: EJU Media