Over the years, Claudiu has participated in countless events on the world circuit. Grand prix, grand slams, World Judo Masters and world championships hold no secrets for him. He was part of the London and Rio Games adventure as well, within the IJF team, and in 2021 was the Judo Venue Producer of the Tokyo 2020 Games on behalf of the organising committee. To say he has experience is not an exaggeration.
Before joining the IJF team, Claudiu completed fifteen years in the TV, production and broadcasting sector. "I was an assistant producer, producer and then general producer for sports channels. I worked for Romanian national TV and, among other things, I produced football TV shows during the FIFA World Cup or during the European championships. I worked in Romania of course but also in Norway, Germany, Turkiye and other places. I was also involved in the European Handball Championship but I have now worked exclusively for the IJF for the last 13 years.”
The transition between Dr Lisa Allan and Claudiu Chimoiu promises to be smooth, "I am really happy for him. I know and I am sure that judo will be in good hands with Claudiu. We have been working together for more than ten years. It's also good to see that the IJF is able to keep this evolution inside. It shows that there is a pathway for everyone who works hard with professionalism. We all progress as a team. Claudiu is a good example of that,” said Lisa Allan.
"I have worked with Lisa for so long now. I have learned a lot from her. I knew the TV part, she taught me the rest. It's all about teamwork and friendship,” added Claudiu.
Throughout the past year, Claudiu has had the chance to see judo reach a new level, "It was a challenge at the beginning, when Vlad Marinescu (IJF Director General) brought me to the team, but along with the IJF team, we grew together. I remember, at the beginning, a world championship would be filmed with 8 cameras. Here we have 28. That is a good indicator of the evolution. We had some inconsistency with our TV graphics but now we have a state-of-the-art package. We are at the same level as the big TV sports. When I started we were a very small team and now we have a proper team that is travelling all over the world to help local organising committees to deliver the best events.
There is still room for improvement and I will work hard with the team to make it happen. For instance, we want to improve the morning coverage of the World Judo Tour events. Of course, as Events Director, I'll have to take care of all sectors. I feel ready for it.”
Ready? Certainly Claudiu is and together with the whole team, new levels will be reached. Good luck Claudiu in your new position.