After Portugal, there was the famous Paris Grand Slam, which for fifty years has attracted thousands of spectators. This year it was sold out once again, which represents more than 15,000 spectators every day. Then there was Tel Aviv, which was ignited by the performances of their home judoka and all visitors, demonstrating exemplary fair play for all athletes.
While the world circuit is back in Tashkent, after the last edition of the world championships, once again the atmosphere is at its highest level. It must be said that the presence of a successful national team greatly contributes to the quality of the show but it's not just that. We feel that behind each competitor there are dozens, even hundreds, of supporters and that each of them is a fine connoisseur of the sport.
While the third day of competition at the Tashkent Grand Slam 2023 had not yet started, the seats of the Yunusabad Sport Hall were already packed with enthusiastic spectators ready to give voice throughout the day. Among these fans, there are many young people who came with their families or with their clubs, a sign that judo in Uzbekistan is doing well and that it is already looking to the future. There is no doubt that in the next few years, some of these young judoka will be on the tatami, quite simply because they will have been inspired by what they will have experienced during these three days of competition.
The success of a sporting event is often measured by the popular enthusiasm it generates. Here in Tashkent, things have been done well to attract the public. For example, there is the Uzbekistan Fan Club, whom we already met and especially heard during the 2022 World Championships (https://www.ijf.org/news/show/fan-club-uzbekistan). Well-placed in the middle of the stands, they sent their first musical notes long before the first fights took place and this morning, as we are getting to know them, they echoed the music played by Giorgi Tchanishvili, the official announcer of the world circuit events. This has greatly contributed to the extraordinary atmosphere that prevailed throughout the weekend.
If the show obviously takes place mainly on the tatami, the spectators can live a real experience throughout the competition. Thus, outside the arena, the federation organised a fan zone, in which it is possible to eat and buy grand slam goodies. It is this global experience which today makes judo an increasingly popular sport in Uzbekistan, as in the whole world. We already know that in Georgia, in two weeks, we will experience the same type of emotion, emotion on all levels, from the tatami to the bleachers and beyond. We are already looking forward to it.