Almost 500 young athletes arrived in Bytom, Poland, from 19 nations to compete in the Bytom European Judo Hopes Tournament 2025. It included two age categories, U13 and U15, both of which were given the opportunity to take part in the Kodokan Technical Session with Kodokan Expert, two-time Olympic medallist and three-time World Champion, NAKAMURA Misato of Japan and Olympic Champion and silver medallist, World Champion and of course, judo legend, Tina TRSTENJAK from Slovenia.
The entire weekend was a huge success from start to finish, on Friday evening, all athletes were invited for the opening seminar and to have an understanding of what their experience would involve.
Trstenjak was very pleased with the opportunity these athletes are being given, highlighting the importance of preparing for cadet and junior levels. Parents were also impressed with the level of professionalism, and for some it was their first international event.
Though there is focus on education and competition, the EJU prides itself on building on the judo family, extending the word of judo far and wide, and this can only be done by bringing people together, taking away experiences and making memories that will be taken back to clubs. The intention of Jigoro Kano is ever present, and our goal is always to build a better society through our judo values and creating strong characters that will further our mission.
The atmosphere was one of joy and excitement, with flags flying from Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Ukraine among the others. Poland is of course one of the top organisers of the European Judo Union, this particular event was number six in the calendar of 2025, and participants, coaches and delegations know they can depend on a comfortable and memorable stay.
President of the Polish Judo Association, Krzysztof WILKOMIRSKI, was thrilled to have the likes of Nakamura and Trstenjak on the tatami, stating that it wasn’t only great for the young athletes, but for himself and the parents who are also huge judo fans. Furthermore, he was already looking ahead and imagining the paths of some of these young people, hoping that events like this will keep more children in the sport.
Perhaps we will even have a future Olympian, everyone starts somewhere, and it would be a pleasure to know that we have been a part of their journey.
Author: Thea Cowen