Two-time Olympian Maria Karagiannopoulou (GRE) is proud of her sporting heritage and her time on the elite circuit. She fought at 7 senior world championships and after getting a taste for the Olympic Games in 1992 in Barcelona, she finally returned to that stage 12 years later, in her home city of Athens.
An unfortunate draw pitted her against arguably the greatest of all time, Ryoko Tani (JPN), in the second round and a loss there sent her to the repechage. In the 1990’s the system was different from that of today and a full repechage was in force, meaning it was a very long route to a bronze medal. Maria chained several wins together and reached the bronze medal contest where Julia Matijass (GER) eventually won the medal.
Maria’s route to a fifth place at the Olympic Games, and the result itself, fuelled a lifelong devotion to the values of judo, to the sharing of experience, memories and education. Now, leading a judo programme at Tigers Academy Athens, her mission is to improve the lives and opportunities of as many children as possible through judo.
During the 2026 European Championships, Maria and Members of her club could be found in Tbilisi. A 40-strong group was present from Greece, mostly children, to take part in the EJU Kids Camp being held at the Georgian Judo Federation building. The young judoka enjoyed masterclasses from stars such as Gevrise Emane and Varlam Liparteliani in the mornings and could get close to the athletes competing at the Olympic Palace in the afternoons. Tourism and cultural experiences peppered the programme too.
“Here they have found friendship and co-operation with judoka from other countries,” said Maria in Tbilisi. Children came to the Kids Camp from Ukraine, Greece, Armenia, Romania and of course Georgia. “We don’t have the same language day-to-day but through judo we do and this creates friendship and understanding from a young age. This is peace through sport in action.”
“The masterclasses are also important.” Gevrise and Varlam gave a lot of individual attention to the children, showing them details that may stay with them throughout their judo lives now.
Having had close contact with such big names, heading to the competition venue had new significance, “The children can see the athletes walking past them in the arena at the competition and they feel that they fight with them. When we returned to Greece after last year’s EJU Kids Camp, in Montenegro, they found a new and better way to work. They saw for themselves the way to become a first class athlete. To watch on TV is something but to be with the athletes makes them feel something much more intense. It has been so exiting for them to come to Tbilisi.”
The European Championships continues to inspire children from Georgia and beyond. Education and friendship programmes extend the experience making it an unmissable event for Maria and her young judoka. No doubt she will be back for more at the next EJU Kids Camp. Why not join them?
Author: Jo Crowley