Croatian Judo Federation President Dr Sanda Corak was the first to welcome an arena full of judo fans. She began by welcoming each of the VIPs on stage and thanked them all for their support. “Welcome to Croatia and the Zagreb Grand Prix 2026. We are very proud to have hosted this event for many years. We always seek to make the atmosphere safe and comfortable for all so our athletes can achieve their best results. Thanks to all organisers and volunteers, our sponsors, the ministry, the Croatian Olympic Committee and the City of Zagreb as this is always a challenging task.Thanks also to IJF President Marius Vizer for always supporting the activities of the Croatian Judo Federation. Thank you.”
Mr Krešimir Makvić, representative of the Mayor of the City of Zagreb, then took the floor to address the arena on behalf of the host city’s mayor, “Dear representatives of the Croatian Judo Federation, the office of the Prime Minister, the IJF, athletes, coaches, referees, children, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure and honour to welcome you to the Zagreb Grand Prix 2026. On behalf of the mayor the city has hosted the event for many years and we are proud to have almost 500 participants from 63 countries."
"This is a special place for us. Our own Barbara Matic has won here and in 2024 she won the Europeans and a few months later the Olympic Games in Paris. The importance of this event is not just the competition but the children who can watch all these champions and maybe put on a judogi themselves and begin to train. We want sport to be accessible to every child.
To the athletes, may the best win. Use your courage, skills, dedication and fair play; good luck!”
Then it was the turn of Dr Krešimir Šamija, representative of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, who began by thanking all officials and guests as well as the coaches and athletes. He continued, “It is my great honour and pleasure to welcome you all. We are proud of the achievements of the organisers of the judo federation here. It is a great opportunity for our athletes to represent Croatia at home. We are happy to share knowledge with all of you around the organising of major sporting event. Our country has organised many big events over recent years. Here, you can all share in the values of judo and the idea of fair play. We support this event and those of all sports in Croatia. I believe you will share a nice experience here in our capital City of Zagreb.”
To complete the speeches, IJF Secretary General Dr Lisa Allan stepped forward, “On behalf of the International Judo Federation and its president, Mr Marius Vizer, it is a great honour for us to be here in Croatia for the 2026 Zagreb Judo Grand Prix. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Dr Sanda Corak, president of the Croatian Judo Federation, Mr Krešimir Makvic, representative of the Mayor of the City of Zagreb, Dr Krešimir Šamija, representative of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia for being with us today and for their support of judo and this event. In addition, we are extremely grateful to the Croatian Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the City of Zagreb and the Croatian Olympic Committee and all our sponsors and partners for their commitment and trust."
"We also recognise the important contribution of all the officials and volunteers who have given their time and energy to the organisation; your dedication and professionalism are essential to making this grand prix a success. To all the athletes, coaches and team officials who have travelled to Zagreb from around the world, we wish you the very best of luck. To everyone here in the arena and to the millions of judo fans following at home, we hope you continue to enjoy the action and the very best of world-class judo. I declare the 2026 Zagreb Grand Prix open.”
Following the speeches, the Croatian and IJF anthems were played. The announcer then reminded everyone of the time of the final block; the final preparations were made ahead of the medal contests and medal ceremonies.