After weeks of winter training camps and meticulous preparation, European judo springs to life this weekend as Sofia hosts the season’s opening European Open on 31 January and 1 February. Arena 8888 will witness over 400 athletes from across Europe and beyond, all hungry to make their mark in a competition that, whilst not yet awarding LA2028 Olympic qualification points, will be crucial for world ranking positions and seeding advantages throughout the year.
The entry list reads like a global roll call. Team USA leads the overseas contingent with 15 competitors making the transatlantic journey, whilst the host nation Bulgaria fields an impressive 54 athletes across all weight categories, ensuring home support will reverberate around the arena from first throw to final.
Amongst the Bulgarian favourites, Ivaylo Ivanov stands out. For those who follow judo closely, this isn’t Ivanov’s first rodeo on home soil, far from it. The four-times European medallist, top seed of the -90kg category, knows Arena 8888 intimately and the crowd knows him. Expect the atmosphere to ignite when he steps onto the tatami.
When Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Adil Osmanov (MDA) enters in the -73kg category as top seed, the bar rises immediately but he is not alone in bringing Olympic credentials to Sofia. French judoka Alpha Oumar Djalo, Olympic champion in the mixed team event, competes in the -81kg category, whilst Ukrainian Bogdan Iadov (-66kg) returns to a city that holds special significance, it was here in Sofia that he captured his senior European title back in 2022. Nostalgia and ambition make a potent combination.
Former junior world champion and U23 European champion Elena Dengg (AUT) makes an intriguing appearance in the -78kg category, notably higher up than her usual -70kg division. Is this experimentation, or strategic repositioning? We will find out this weekend.
Kosovo’s Flaka Loxha has been climbing steadily, year after year and now sits as the number two seed in the -57kg category. Standing in her way is top seed Shukurjon Aminova (UZB), who finished fifth at the 2025 Senior World Championships and arrives as the highest-ranked competitor at the entire event with #15. This clash alone could define the weekend.
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Whilst Sofia doesn’t yet distribute LA2028 Olympic qualification points, dismissing it as “just another Open” would be a mistake. World ranking points are on offer and those rankings determine seedings for every competition that follows. Position yourself well now and you control your draw destiny throughout the season.
Expect the entry lists for subsequent Europeans Opens to reflect this reality, as the year progresses and rankings solidify, more top-ranked athletes will appear, each protecting their seeding advantages for when Olympic qualification does commence in earnest.
Arena 8888 awaits. Let the season begin.
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Author: Szandra Szogedi