Great thanks to Zagreb, see you in Podgorica (MNE) next April! The 2024 European Championships are history, long live the 2025 European Championships at the Moraca Sports Centre. Jovica RECEVIC, 46, President of the Montenegrin Judo Federation and a police officer by profession, looks forward to next year’s major event in the EJU interview.
The European Championship flag for next year’s event was handed over to you at the European Championship closing ceremony. How proud are you to be the organiser next year?
Jovica Recevic: “Very proud, of course! This year we are celebrating our event première at EJU level with two European Cups. The Junior EC took place on 9/10 March in Podgorica and was a success on all fronts. I hope everything goes just as smoothly at the Senior EC on 21/22 September.”
You were in Zagreb with a seven-person delegation to learn as much as possible from the Croatian organisers for next year? What were your key findings from the last few days?
Recevic: “Croatia is an experienced organiser. The four days of competition at the European Championships were a great success, the atmosphere was infectious. But I am convinced that we can keep up. The Moraca Sports Centre in Podgorica can hold up to 7,000 spectators, and we expect to bring up to 4,500 fans into the hall on the competition days, at least.”
What are your sporting expectations?
Recevic: “We want to compete in all weight classes. We currently have 250 competitive athletes competing internationally. We have over 1,500 judoka in total. We currently have two athletes in the top 100: Jovana PEKOVIC/78/ranked 56th and Anto DUBRETA/+100/ranked 71st! We are currently hoping to have at least one athlete at the Olympics in Paris.”
Author: EJU Media