The semi-finals set the tone for an intense final block, with Uzbekistan facing Türkiye and Kazakhstan meeting Azerbaijan. Both matches were fiercely contested, filled with tactical exchanges and emotional moments. Uzbekistan overcame Türkiye in a thrilling contest, while Azerbaijan prevailed over Kazakhstan, setting up a powerful all-Central Asian final between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
Despite their impressive haul of individual titles earlier in the week, Türkiye fell short of the final but bounced back with determination to claim bronze, joined on the podium by Kyrgyzstan, who defeated Kazakhstan in their bronze medal match.
The final delivered on every expectation, Azerbaijan once again demonstrating their collective strength and spirit, taking victory over Uzbekistan in style to claim the mixed team gold medal, closing their campaign on the highest note.
Referee Ramzi Shamirov (TJK) reflected positively on the tournament, “This was a very good Games, but it would be even better to see more countries participating in the next edition, especially more European nations that are part of ISSA, like Bosnia and Herzegovina. Women’s judo has developed a lot and I hope to see even more female judoka in future editions. Step by step, it’s growing.”
Olympic and world champion and IJF delegate Tina Trstenjak also praised the event, “It was well organised, with a good level overall. It’s great to have Olympic and world medallists competing alongside developing athletes who can still be competitive. We’ve seen countries that rarely appear on the IJF World Tour and some of them even earned medals; that’s fantastic! I’m already looking forward to the next edition.”
The next Islamic Solidarity Games will take place in Malaysia in 2029, promising to continue this spirit of unity through sport.
For Azerbaijan, team coach Amina Abdellatif shared her thoughts, “I’m simply happy. The team fought hard, it was a beautiful final and a beautiful victory for judo itself. This result gives us hope for the future. The Azerbaijani team is taking shape.”
From Türkiye, coach Giorgio Vismara summed up the experience, “Three intense days of competitive judo at the Islamic Games concluded today with the team event. A heartfelt thanks to the IJF staff, who, as always, filled the gaps in local organisation, and to Tina Trstenjak for her excellent management of the refereeing. Overall, this is a positive and valuable event.”
With that, the curtain falls on three memorable days of judo in Riyadh, days that celebrated excellence, unity and the growing diversity of nations embracing the spirit of the sport.