So, how does Paris make us feel?
Leandra Freitas (POR) fought at the Paris Tournament several times and is now using her experiences as an athlete to feed into her working life with both the IJF Children’s Commission and the IJF Sport Commission ~ “It’s the best judo tournament in the world and with the best crowd. It was my favourite tournament to fight. I used to say that I would prefer to win a medal in Paris than at the Europeans!”
Elisabetta Fratini is our IT guru, the woman who runs the competition itself. ~ “It’s the biggest event of the year, with all the excitement of the public. Have you ever seen the event from my corner though? Think about all the information that is going out from my computer? Scary! It’s a lot of responsibility. Aside from my side of the organisation, there are just lovely people all around, all professional and friendly, it’s a family reunion!”
Lisa Rivers will be refereeing at the Bercy for the first time this weekend. ~ "I’m a referee so I like to evaluate the parameters! I’m excited today but ask me again tomorrow. I’m buzzing at the moment and have been for days but being out there in the middle is a different story.”
Gabriela Sabau, the IJF’s Head Photographer has been on the World Judo Tour for well over a decade. ~ “Panic! Stress! It’s the most stressful event of the year in terms of planning, managing our energy levels and ensuring we catch all the best moments. With so many categories and competitors in just two days, it’s incredible but also the toughest event of the year for the photographers. The product will be amazing, the getting there is more complicated.”
Daniel Lascau, world champion and now IJF Head Referee Director, has had many different experiences in Paris. ~ “I think of many things: tradition, high performance judo, the knowledgable public with their great understanding. The great organisation there means we can present judo in its real beauty and of course it is in the country of the Olympic Mixed Team title-holders and they will want to defend that title in this city next year so that adds another dimension.”
Then there are those who get to watch every fight live, rewatch the best moments on replay and tell the world their thoughts fight after fight, year after year, the commentators.
Loretta Cusack-Doyle ~ “I’m always very excited for Paris, one of the best judo events in the world. Also I love Paris as it has very successful and fond memories for me personally, winning world & European titles there.”
Sheldon Franco-Rooks has been commentating at the Tournoi for the last 12 years. ~ “The very first thing that comes to mind is the unique atmosphere. There is a special sound, a buzz of constant excitement as a seemingly neverending list of star names are introduced.”
What about the person carrying the responsibility for the over-arching blending of departments, the coming together of all the planning, the building and the details, the IJF Events Director, Lisa Allan ~ “I’m excited mostly because of the thought of the thousands of spectators who come to the event, creating a fantastic atmosphere in the stadium. The event is unique on the World Judo Tour and it is always an emotional one. I really like how France Judo honour their retiring champions and high grades in the animation during the breaks between sessions.”
So if the organisers, referees, photographers, commentators and athletes of the past are all describing Paris’ unique energy, what about those who will compete in the days to come?
Mihael Zgank (TUR) ~ “I think of a spectacular event and I get chills down my back thinking about fighting in the finals.”
Eteri Liparteliani (GEO) ~ “The Paris Grand Slam is the greatest competition for me and probably for the entire judo team. It's a completely different feeling when I compete in such a big hall in Paris.”
Then there is one very special competitor who would like to be fighting but won't be on the tatami of the Bercy this year, someone who already carries 6 Paris golds. Imagine having 10 grand slam medals, 8 of them gold and 6 of those 8 being from Paris! That is the case for 5-time world champion Clarisse Agbegnenou ~ “It’s nice because I have a lot of fans here so I am a bit sad that I’m not fighting this time, with my amazing crowd. But at the same time, it’s scary because it’s so busy and people expect a lot from us, from the whole team. Really, I love to fight in Paris, though!"
But what about for the rest of our French family? Is it different, is it still so special for them? Nicolas Messner is the IJF Media Director but he grew up with a real judo dad and was in and around judo all his life. He was and is a photographer and artist way before he joined the IJF team, which was a dozen years ago but the judo has been with him throughout. ~ “For me it always reminds me of being a child and it was the most prestigious event I started to attend when I was young. First it was in the Coubertin and it was always incredible to feel the atmosphere. Later when it moved to Bercy people would say it’s too big of a venue but it actually wasn’t. Paris is the place to meet the champions and to see them in action. For French people this is the place to be at the beginning of the year. Clubs plan their visit way in advance. They bring the young judoka to enjoy the show and to be inspired. For many French judoka it is still “le Tournoi de Paris’ just as it was before the World Judo Tour was established."
"I remember that in the Coubertin there were always more tickets sold than the capacity allowed, so we had to sit on the stairs. Of course it’s not possible anymore for security reasons but in the past this was the place you had to be. There was no internet or live transmission so you needed to see it with your own eyes. I went so many times!
I would shoot random pictures and burn through tonnes of 36 exposure films. That’s where I learned the basics of sport photography. I would watch the photographers install their equipment and think, ‘I want that too!’”
Everyone has a feeling or a story or a wish to do with Paris. This year, like every other, there will be dreams coming true, stories being written and legends being passed on. The Bercy is almost ready for us!