The IJF was represented by Head Sport Director Mr Vladimir Barta, Mr Mohamed Meridja, Education and Coaching Director and Mr Florin Daniel Lascau, Head Referee Director.
For the Tajikistan Judo Federation Dilshod Nazarov, Vice President of the Tajikistan NOC, Mr Ergash Makhmadbekov, Vice President of the Tajikistan Judo Federation and the TJF General Secretary Mr Erkin Latypov were in attendance.
Mr Meridja opened proceedings with a warm welcome to all, “Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to begin my address by extending our warmest congratulations to Tajikiskan for the two medals won at the Olympic Games in Paris. This is a great achievement that will be recorded in shining letters in the history of the Tajikistan Olympic movement.
The International Judo Federation is delighted to have, for the first time, the junior world championships in Dushanbe. This occasion marks a turning point for many young athletes who are ready to inscribe ambitious performance plans in this new Olympic cycle.
Dushanbe is an attractive and exciting city with a great history and a rich cultural heritage, turned towards progress and the future. IJF President Marius Vizer extends his appreciation and best compliments, thanking the national federation and the authorities for their commitment, valuable effort and support to ensure the success of this outstanding competition. We wish the athletes and their coaches all the best. I strongly encourage the participants to abide by the rules of fair play, positive spirit and judo values.”
Mr Makhmadbekov then took the floor, “Good afternoon to all members of the IJF and guests, we welcome all to our peaceful capital city, hosting for the first time a world championships among juniors. It’s a great honour to welcome you on behalf of the federation president, Mr Ismoil Makhmadzoir. Once again we have the honour of welcoming you to picturesque Dushanbe. First and foremost I extend my gratitude to the specialist employees of the IJF and to President Marius Vizer for having faith in us to host this competition. We are honoured to stage the contests of the world’s greatest juniors and we believe it will be a memorable event for us and for all attendees. We wish everyone good fortune and prosperity.”
Housekeeping announcements were then made, encouraging all to adhere to the rules of fair play and of clean sport. This notice included a reminder that all participants, in any role, must take care of their belongings and always wear their accreditation.
Day 1 in the Kasri Tennis Arena, Wednesday 2nd October, will begin at 9am local time and all contests will be shown on JudoTV. The preliminaries will be held on 3 tatami while a single mat will be under the spotlight for the final block, beginning at 4pm each day. All event information will be posted on the dedicated IJF noticeboard on Telegram.
Mr Florin Daniel Lascau then introduced the IJF Referee Commission selection, saying, “In the name of the Refereeing Commission, we have the pleasure to inform you that for Dushanbe we have invited worldwide referees to ensure transparency across the event.”
Mr Vladimir Barta then ran the mechanics of the draw with the support of the IJF IT Team and the 531 athletes were drawn against their first opponents of the event.
Once the draw concluded, the referees, supervisors and IJF Head Referee Directors made their way to the Sport Palace ‘Hoji Sharif’ for the pre-event referee meeting. Just as happens ahead of every senior World Judo Tour event, in Dushanbe the referees discussed a number of elements of the rules, supported by video evidence, to ensure parity, transparency and continued education for all.
During the meeting, the 7 Olympic referees from this summer’s Games in Paris were applauded, followed by the two Paralympic referees. With nine referees present from the Olympic and Paralympic Games, it can be understood that there is a great deal of respect laid at the feet of the juniors; everyone is aware that they are the best in the world and that they will too, some of them, compete one day at an Olympic Games.
Mr Lascau then announced a change of role for Mr Jean-Claude Djimbi, Olympic Referee from Gabon, “Actually, refereeing on the mat could be considered easier than the constant role of the supervisor. The referee can concentrate on one fight at a time, but as a supervisor you must work constantly and now we have the first supervisor in the history of the IJF from Africa and this is a big responsibility.” Mr Djimbi has moved into the team of supervisors and in Dushanbe he will be on a new side of the tatami.
With the conclusion of the draw and referee meeting, the competition approaches at a rapid pace. In just a few hours the lightest categories will make their way to Kasri Tennis with the aim of being crowned junior world champion.