Ahead of the opening day of the 2026 (16th to 19th April) European Championships in Tbilisi, Georgian head coach Lasha Gujejiani offered some insight, some thoughts about the Georgian psyche and what it means to compete at home.
“It’s not just about championships but about relationships, and the relationship we have with all of you [the judo family] is long and close. Here I did not have to sacrifice anything in preparation for the event. All the athletes want to win here and so their effort would be present even without the coaches pushing them.”
Reflecting on the draw for each member of the team, a full team among both men and women, Gujejiani was clear, “We are very motivated for this tournament. In order to achieve our goals here, we must tackle and take down anybody and everybody and in that sense the draw is always good.”
The Georgian Judo Federation is proud, and rightly so, of their development in recent years, expanding and promoting the women’s team, so much so that the delegation listing shows a representative in every category, a total of 17 judoka. This is a first for Georgia at a milestone event and a strategy they plan to repeat ad infinitum.
For Lasha Gujejiani, arriving with 7 athletes in the world top ten, 2 defending European champions and no less than 6 former world champions, the plan is sincere, albeit delivered with a wink, “I wish our guests the chance to do their very best here and wish them a great number of silver and bronze medals.”
The Georgian team always brings heart to the tatami but competing at home is a different story, a new level of pride, not pressure, and to beat them will be a heavy task for any challenger in Tbilisi.
Author: Jo Crowley