When created in 1971, the event at the time was called 'Paris Tournament' and was held at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin. The first editions only gathered male competitors and in just 5 weight categories: -63kg, -70kg, -80kg, -93kg, +93kg. In 1979, the number of categories was upgraded to 7 and women finally entered the competition in 1988.
2000 was an important marker as for its 26th edition, the Paris Tournament moved to the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy (POPB), today known as the AccorHotels Arena, better suited to the popular success of this competition which brings together the world's greatest judoka.
In 2002, it became the Paris Ile-de-France Tournament and since 2009, it has been the first grand slam to be held under the International Judo Federation's new programme of competitions, the World Judo Tour. Due to renovation work at the POPB, the 2015 edition was doubly exceptional in that it was held in October (rather than February) and was the inaugural event for the brand new AccorHotels Arena.
This year, the Paris Grand Slam will be held for the 50th time, an incredible longevity and a history that is far from its end. Let's see what this weekend will offer us.