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A picture that makes us proud: Sunday evening, at the end of the second day of competition, the heads of delegation lined up to thank the organizing committee team led by ÖJV Secretary General Corina Korner and tournament director Thomas Stückler. Judo Austria President Martin Poiger was equally satisfied with his assessment:
We can only say thank you to the city of Graz, the state of Styria, and the 50 volunteers (mostly from Styrian judo clubs). This year, it was once again clear that the judo community loves coming to Austria, whether for the largest training camp in Mittersill at the beginning of January, for the Grand Prix of the general class in Linz, or in Graz at the end of May/beginning of June. The Raiffeisen Sportpark is an ideal venue. The participating nations are once again full of praise. Many associations may have difficulty finding volunteers, but our organizing committee teams always succeed very well. You can feel the hospitality; you can see that everyone is happy to help. This atmosphere is transmitted to the athletes and coaches
With 2,000 overnight stays, 435 athletes from 23 nations, and correspondingly high media ratings, we can already say: In all likelihood, there will be a Junior European Cup in Graz in 2026 – despite significant funding cuts.
From a sporting perspective, the ÖJV (Austrian Youth Association) is also quite satisfied:
As is well known, three A-team athletes were missing: Lisa Betz, Carina Klaus-Sternwieser, and Jael Wernert. The fact that we still managed to win silver and bronze with Helene Schrattenholzer and Ronald Pröll can definitely be considered a success. Especially when you analyze the performances of both of them – victory was within the realm of possibility for both of them. Helene has already secured her World Championship ticket – with two second places in a row, and Ronald has met the A-level European Championship standard,
emphasized Sports Director Markus Moser. What made him a little thoughtful?
The overall record of our 45-member team (with 20 wins and 48 losses, editor’s note) definitely has room for improvement. This will need to be analyzed in detail in the coming weeks.
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The junior season continues into the fall: The Under-21 European Championships will take place in Bratislava from September 4-7, and the World Championships will be held in Amman, Jordan, from October 23-27. Markus Moser:
Our goal there is to win medals as well.
Author: Judo Austria
Judoka
Author: EJU Media