Through the Keyhole
Many of our international coaches and former athletes will know EJU Head Refereeing Commissioner Franky De Moor from their experiences on the tatami, whether it win or lose, he has a reputation as a fantastic, world-class referee. But where did it all begin? In one of the oldest judo clubs…
24 January 2021Yesterday, Alice SCHLESINGER announced her retirement from professional competition. The judo scene has seen Alice compete for over fifteen years, taking her first continental championship medal in 2008 and her world medal only a year later in Rotterdam as well as competing in three Olympic Games. Her career has seen…
21 January 2021The recently concluded IJF Masters in Doha saw the world’s best gather for the first event of the 2021 IJF World Tour. The draw that preceded the action set the stage for what turned out to be a fascinating three days of intense, high-quality judo that was sorely missed in…
21 January 2021Back in early 2020, unless you were living in China, you were likely to feel very distanced from the threat of a pandemic. Inevitably, it came to Europe and the first country to really feel the devastating effects was Italy. The results came in slowly to begin with and much…
20 January 2021Through the Keyhole
The judo values are applied in our lives in many ways, for this man, courage played a huge role in his success within the sport. Without it, we might not know Wieslaw Blach as a European Champion, World medallist, President of the Polish Judo Federation or EJU Sports Director. We…
17 January 2021Masters - Doha, Qatar
On the third and final day of the IJF Masters event in Doha, Europe claimed all but two of the available twenty medals. An incredible accomplishment was set in motion early on as fan favourites went from strength to strength in the preliminaries. In the -100kg category, Varlam LIPARTELIANI (GEO)…
14 January 2021Masters - Doha, Qatar
The third and final day of the IJF Masters in Doha saw Teddy RINER (FRA) deliver a convincing performance to take the gold medal in the +100kg category. Under close scrutiny by the media and public alike, after his defeat in Paris at the hands of KAGEURA Kokoro (JPN), Riner…
13 January 2021It is with great sadness and regret that we inform the judo community of the passing of one of our own, referee Žygimantas Rybinas of Lithuania. The Lithuanian judo community was deeply shocked of the sudden death of the famous judo judge of the country, Žygimantas Rybinas. The 30 year-old…
13 January 2021Masters - Doha, Qatar
Perhaps in the -70kg category, we weren’t surprised to see Kim POLLING (NED) returning to her place on the podium, and as her first event since lockdown began early last year, she is still in good standing as she picked up a bronze medal. Joining her in third place was…
13 January 2021Masters - Doha, Qatar
There is some degree of irony in the fact that Tato GRIGALASHVILI (GEO), having been unceremoniously thrown to the wolves at the 2019 Qingdao World Masters (where he suffered a first-round exit), has since that time not lost a single contest. Any lingering doubts about his credentials as a serious…
12 January 2021Masters - Doha, Qatar
Though Distria KRASNIQI (KOS) took player of the day title along with her third Masters title yesterday in the -48kg category, the performances by European athletes and especially those that medalled were a testament to their dedication after almost a year of limited training. It was a tough first day…
12 January 2021Honored Master of Sports of the USSR David Rostomovich Khakhaleishvili passed away on January 11 at the age of 49. David Khakhaleishvili was born in 1971 in Kutaisi. The highest point in his career was the victory at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona as part of the united CIS…
12 January 2021Masters - Doha, Qatar
Distria KRASNIQI (KOS) continued her impressive IJF Masters record by collecting her third gold medal, retaining the title that the 25-year old won in Qingdao in 2019. Her win will see her increase her lead at the top of the IJF WRL and guarantee her place as number one seed…
11 January 2021Masters - Doha, Qatar
The scene is set for an IJF Masters showdown of epic proportions. Like some old-fashioned Western movie where the protagonists quietly come into a dusty town before bursting into action. Ok, so the mega modern setting of Doha will have to take the place of Tombstone (or wherever). But the…
9 January 2021Masters - Doha, Qatar
WOMEN -48kg Read the full article about the outstanding women’s weight category. -52kg Current world number one Amandine BUCHARD (FRA) is top seed here whilst 2019 Masters Champion SHISHIME Ai (JPN) will fly the flag for Japan. European Champion Odette GIUFFRIDA (ITA) is drawn in Shishime’s half which leaves current Olympic Champion…
9 January 2021Masters - Doha, Qatar
No need for hype, over-used superlatives or unwarranted speculation. The level of the entry for the 2021 IJF Masters promises long-awaited match-ups that even the Olympic Games cannot accommodate. Take for example the -81kg category. Only four places separate Tato GRIGALASHVILI (GEO) from team mate Luka MAISURADZE (GEO) and their…
7 January 2021Masters - Doha, Qatar
This weekend will see the city of Doha stage the 10th IJF Masters. The line-up of world class athletes is truly impressive with 10 weight categories featuring their respective world number one. It is not surprising that there should be such an air of heightened anticipation especially in the super-heavyweight…
7 January 2021European Judo Championships - Prague, Czech Republic
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. One can look back and see how things began, how events unfolded and how things came to be the way they are. Foresight on the other hand involves guess work and speculation, informed or otherwise. No amount of foresight could have prepared Shirine BOUKLI (FRA)…
5 January 2021