Hosted at the training centre of the national judo teams, this programme was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation and the Azerbaijan National Olympic Committee. A total of 63 coaches from various regions of Azerbaijan participated in the level 1 course and were presented with their diplomas at the end of the week.
From 5th to 10th February the participants had the privilege of learning from IJF Academy experts, including Florin Daniel Lascau, IJF Head Refereeing Director and Envic Galea, IJF Academy Director, as well as renowned Olympic champions, Giulia Quintavalle (ITA) and Tina Trstenjak (SLO), who shared their experience and knowledge generously.
During the awards ceremony, certificates of participation were presented to the coaches by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Farid Gayibov, the Vice President of the National Olympic Committee, Zemfira Meftahatinova, the NOC Secretary General, Azer Aliyev, President of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation, Rashad Nabiyev, Vice President, Elnur Mammadli, and the IJF Academy Director, Envic Galea.
Minister Farid Gayibov emphasised the importance of education at the IJF Academy for judo development in the country, expressing well-wishes to the participating coaches. He attributed the increased interest in education at the IJF Academy to the growing popularity of judo in Azerbaijan.
President Rashad Nabiyev highlighted the significance of educating participants in judo sport, especially coaches and identified the challenge of raising the young generation in the spirit of the sport.
Azer Aliyev, General Secretary of the National Olympic Committee, expressed gratitude to the specialists of the IJF Academy for their contribution to judo development in Azerbaijan, affirming the National Olympic Committee's readiness to support such projects.
Envic Galea revealed that the programme held in Azerbaijan marked the 115th seminar of the Academy, with a record number of participants from the country.
Notably, 63 judo coaches completed the coaching certificate programme of the International Judo Federation successfully, passing the exam and earning the level 1 coaching diploma. This achievement brings the total number of judo coaches in Azerbaijan holding the IJF Academy's level 1 diploma to 130.