This weekend in Brussels (BEL) a Kata Judges Seminar & Examination took place and it was followed by an EJU Kata Tournament, organised by the Belgium Judo Federation. Kata is a fast emerging division within judo.
The Judges Seminar & Examination was conducted under the supervision of Franco Capelletti, Vice-President of the EJU, Cataldo D’Arcangelo the EJU Kata Competition Commissioner, Michel Kozlowski and Eric Veulemans, members of the EJU Education & Coaching Commission. More than 15 candidates presented their examination on Saturday for the judge in various katas, Nage-no Kata, Katame-no Kata, Ju-no Kata, Kodokan Goshin Jitsu and Kime-no Kata.
At EJU Kata Tournament 52 couples of nine different countries will present their various kata forms. For some of the athletes this competition is very important, as they need to qualify for the next European Championships that will be held in Slovenia next May. The home country, Belgium, will present 13 couples.
Kata has been longtime present in northern Europe for the examinations to obtain a higher grade, but kata is part of the culture of learning process of judo in the Mediterranean countries. This cultural tradition puts Italy and Spain as the leaders in this type of competition since the first official European Championships in 2004, but most recently other countries are showing interest and are contesting their supremacy.
Watch photos of the Seminar and of the Kata Tournament in our media gallery: