Skopje will host the Senior European Cup this weekend, the sixth of seven European Cups on this year’s calendar. Once again, the National Judo Federation of North Macedonia welcomes an EJU event to the capital.
This marks the fourth international competition the country has staged in 2025. In June, Skopje hosted the Cadet European Championships, followed a month later by the European Youth Olympic Festival. In August, the Junior European Cup took place, and now the seniors bring an extraordinary year of judo events in a nation of fewer than two million people to a close.
In August, Iva Bogdanovska gave the host country a proud moment with a bronze medal at the Junior European Cup. While North Macedonia has yet to win a medal at senior or junior European Championships, its cadets did see success in 2018 when Hamza Jashari took bronze. Organising events of this scale will only motivate the next generation of Macedonian judoka to strive for international medals.
Nearly 300 athletes from 30 nations are registered to compete in Skopje, including a large German delegation as well as strong teams from Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, and Great Britain.
Some of the standout names include German heavyweight Renee Lucht, Serbian heavyweight Igor Vracar, Italy’s Enrico Bergamelli, British Lachlan Moorhead (-81kg), and Denmark’s Laerke Olsen. Olsen will be joined by her teammate Emilie Sook, one of the most successful athletes on this year’s European Cup circuit, who won silver in Podgorica in March and followed it up with gold in Riga a week later.
For some athletes, this European Cup will serve as preparation for the upcoming U23 European Championships. For others, it is a chance to test their level against international competition, prove readiness for Continental Open events, or earn a motivational medal.
Even athletes from non-European nations such as Canada, Australia, and Colombia have entered, though breaking into the medal ranks will be tough. The men’s -73kg and -81kg divisions alone each feature more than 40 competitors.
Catch all the action from the Senior European Cup, streaming live 20–21 September on JudoTV.com.
Author: Hans Van Essen / Cover Image: Bojan Ilieski
Author: EJU Media