Everything was orchestrated perfectly, giving the athletes from the 36 participating countries the opportunity to give their best, allowing them to collect valuable points for the world ranking. The Olympic qualifications are still relatively far away, but positioning themselves at the top of the ranking will undoubtedly be a guarantee of success for the future champions.
The Japanese team made no mistake. They sent a top-notch team to Baku, the results confirm it, with a first place in the nations' ranking. Azerbaijan, even though its two headliners, Hidayat Heydarov and Zelym Kotsoiev, both reigning world and Olympic champions, were not present on the tatami, was able to line up other judoka who were able to taste the world's top level. In this very high-level context, the medals won by the host country place them among the best nations in the tournament.
As for the organisation, there is nothing to complain about. Azerbaijan knows how to do it and knows how to do it well. Everything was perfectly oiled. The memories of all the participants will certainly be excellent. The curtain has fallen on the Baku Grand Slam.
The minutes before the final block of this last day of competition in Baku saw young judoka come to the centre of the tatami for a lively and joyful judo session. The children are part of a programme for young people with cognitive difficulties. Judo is an incredible tool for helping and supporting children and integrating them into society. The Azerbaijan Judo Federation once again demonstrated its ability to integrate all audiences without any form of discrimination. The applause received by the children and the big smiles they displayed throughout the session are clear proof of the power of judo.
All eyes can now turn to Tashkent, where the next grand slam will take place. It will be from 28th February to 2nd March in the Uzbek capital, in another great judo country. Later, it will be the turn of Austria, Georgia, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan to host a stage of the World Judo Tour. Then it will be time to stop in Hungary, in Budapest, for the 2025 World Championships, a major event that you can follow like all the others on https://judotv.com/ and on social networks.