Both the European Judo Union and the Slovenian Judo Federation are gratified with the outcome of the European Judo Championships Veterans Podcetrtek 2023, which has formally ended yesterday evening with a rather moving team event. The programme continues in Podcetrtek and whilst we are settling in to view the European Judo Championships Kata 2023, we sat with the President of the European Judo Union, Dr. TOTH Laszlo to talk about last weeks’ happenings and discuss further plans.
Past week, every single day, I was filled with sadness when the last contest finished because what we have seen this past week left me speechless. Pure joyful judo was non-stop on offer, no matters who won the contest, they were enjoying judo, displaying our values. The emotions and moments which this event allowed us to experience was better than an Olympic qualifier. There was no tension at all. I am extremely proud of all participants, and it was a great experience to watch this event. The happiness, respect, and friendship these judoka showed us on and off the mat for each other was heart-warming. We need to build on these grateful moments and advocate for them, and with them. I was also very pleased that we had a very low number of injuries, most of which were minor.
We are going to the right direction. Our slogan, Judo, More Then Sport has once again been validated throughout the whole week. It is very important that we give the same amount of attention to our veterans as we do for our Olympic qualifying events, and such. One of our goal is to organise events at a high standard for not only the seniors but the veterans too, to show our appreciation towards their time and commitment to judo. Before, this aspect was overlooked which I believe was one of the reasons we have not had reasonable number of attendances.
Now, besides ensuring their prime event is at good quality, from next year, we are going to start a European Veteran Judo Tour, which will include approximately seven events. At the end of the year, the winners of this veteran tour, based on ranking and achievements, will be recognised and awarded. We are also seeking to establish a Veteran Commission. I have had a lot of meetings and we are looking to set a strong reliable team to support the veteran category. Like I said, we are moving to the right direction.
I must address the Slovenian Judo Federation. They involved local judo clubs and shown a great effort in pulling their members together, forming a strong team. We have had young volunteers from local judoka clubs and they supported our event with discipline, politeness and excellent attitude. They were the perfect example of how judo can educate one and I am positive that even high paid management companies would not have been able to deliver this standard. The credit for an exceptional volunteer team goes to Ruslan Yankowsky and Urska Zolnir-Jugovar. The whole of Slovenian judo showed they can be united. They delivered an exceptional event and we are grateful for that.
I also would like to mention that we have had two Olympic Champions here supporting. EJU Sport Director, Urska Zolnir-Jugovar who is the head of organising committee for these events, coordinated involving her family, to ensure the events run smoothly. Tina Trstenjak also came and joined our Referee Commission for the last two days. It was an honour to have both of them heavily involved.
Last but not least, I am extremely proud of our [EJU] team. I witnessed good collaboration with the local organisers and seen devoted, whole-hearted professional work ethic. I was truly content to see how well everyone worked together as a team.
I am looking forward to the European Judo Championships Kata as we begin a new week with more action. Part of which will include the Kodokan Kata Seminar on Wednesday, an event which we last held in Europe over a decade ago. Following that, we will have inclusion judo seminar and finally a senior European Cup. It is a lot to organise, and the Slovenian Judo Federation is doing an excellent job.
With a selection of images, we recall a few moments from the European Judo Championships Veterans 2023.
Judoka
Author: Szandra Szogedi