In the past armed conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, among those taken prisoner was a young Armenian judoka, the 19-year-old Robert Vardanyan. Following a call for help from the Armenian Judo Federation, President Marius Vizer reacted promptly and without hesitation.

The International Judo Federation is happy to announce that the young judoka has now returned home to his family safely, due to the generosity of His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan.

We would like to express our deep gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijan judo family.

Once again, judo proved to be an incredible tool against war and conflict situations and the release of the young judoka is proof of the power and high moral values that our sport is carrying, surpassing conflict and animosity. The solidarity and the unity of the international judo family has no borders and we are all united by the common goal of mutual aid and prosperity.

See also
Interview
Christa Deguchi: Without Regret

13. Feb. 2026 / Some life journeys command respect.

JudoPod
From the Tatami to Prime Time: Dennis van der Geest’s Unlikely Second Act

13. Feb. 2026 / What happens when a world heavyweight champion walks ...

Award
Capturing the Soul of Ippon: Emanuele Di Feliciantonio Rewarded in Paris

12. Feb. 2026 / At every stop of the World Judo Tour, the athletes ...

News
Swedish Judo Honoured as Federation of the Year

11. Feb. 2026 / Recognition at national level is always special but ...

Athlete Stories
Distria Krasniqi: I Don't See a Reason to Stop

09. Feb. 2026 / Distria Krasniqi (KOS) has claimed almost every medal ...

News
The IJF and Mongolia Sign for Four New Grand Slams

08. Feb. 2026 / As the Paris Grand Slam was drawing to a close, the ...

Paris GS 2026
A Spectacular Start to the Season in Paris

08. Feb. 2026 / The first tournament of the season has come to an end ...

Paris GS 2026
+100 kg: The Sun Rises Twice in Paris

08. Feb. 2026 / An all-Japanese final assigned the last medals of the ...

Paris GS 2026
+78 kg: Dicko Wins and Shows That Respect Always Comes First

08. Feb. 2026 / The last of the women’s categories to be contested ...

Paris GS 2026
-100 kg: Dota Arai Knocks it Out of the Park

08. Feb. 2026 / Dota Arai (JPN) and Anton Savytskiy (UKR) had been ...

Paris GS 2026
-78 kg: Bellandi is One of the Greats!

08. Feb. 2026 / Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko (UAE) vs Alice Bellandi (ITA) ...

Paris GS 2026
-90 kg: Tajima Throws to Take the Top Spot

08. Feb. 2026 / An all-Japanese final took centre-stage in Paris even ...

Paris GS 2026
-70 kg: The Top of the Podium Belongs to Szofi

08. Feb. 2026 / In the final of the lightest women’s category of ...

INTERVIEW EXPRESS
Shishime Ai (JPN)

08. Jun. 2018 / The next reigning world champion to be invited to answer ...

News
5 Key Takeaways from judo’s first Tokyo 2020 qualifier

06. Jun. 2018 / Highlights from Hohhot Grand Prix 2018

VIDEO
Judo for the World in Iran

07. Jun. 2018 / In April 2018, the International Judo Federation and ...

Meeting
JUDO: A Beneficial Cause

07. Jun. 2018 / 'Society should believe in sport as a beneficial cause ...