The international judo family is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of IOC Member Alex Gilady at the age of 79. Mr Gilady was a good friend to judo and attended the World Judo Tour events regularly.
Mr Alex Gilady presenting medals during the 2021 Tel Aviv Grand Slam

A pioneer of television coverage of the Olympic Games, he began as a sports commentator, before becoming the Head of Sports, Special Operations, Vice President and eventually Senior Vice President of NBC Sports.

NBC began to broadcast the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964, the same year Mr Gilady started his career as a journalist in his home country of Israel.

Following his 1984 to the Radio and Television Commission of the International Olympic Committee, in which role he served through to 2015, 10 years later, in 1994, he was elected as an IOC Member.

Mr Alex Gilady (left) and Mr Marius Vizer (right)

IJF President, Mr Marius Vizer said, "It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of IOC Member Alex Gilady. Mr Gilady’s extensive expertise and devotion to the service of sport and its values will be reminisced. He was a great visionary in the world of sport and his specialisation in TV Broadcasting definitively added to the revolution in modernising all sports and how they were presented on television and a result of that was an increasing interest and viewership of sport content throughout the world.

He added great value also in judo, supporting us with the inclusion of 4D replay during the Tokyo Games. Moreover on a personal level he was a great friend to movement, a person filled with passion and life.

On behalf of the International Judo Federation I would like to express our sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to the family and friends of our dear colleague Alex and to the entire sport family.

Our thoughts accompany you in these difficult moments. He will be greatly missed."

See also
OTP Group Tashkent GS 2026
OTP Group Tashkent Grand Slam 2026: What to Look Out For? (Part 3)

20. Feb. 2026 / The OTP Group Tashkent Grand Slam 2026 is fast approaching. ...

News
Pan-America Recognises Great Coaches

19. Feb. 2026 / This week the Pan-American Judo Confederation announced ...

IJF Academy
Leading the Future of Judo

19. Feb. 2026 / The IJF Academy’s Undergraduate Diploma in Judo Management ...

OTP Group Tashkent GS 2026
OTP Group Tashkent Grand Slam 2026: What to Look Out For? (Part 2)

19. Feb. 2026 / The OTP Group Tashkent Grand Slam 2026 is fast approaching. ...

OTP Group Tashkent GS 2026
OTP Group Tashkent Grand Slam 2026: What to Look Out For? (Part 1)

18. Feb. 2026 / The OTP Group Tashkent Grand Slam 2026 is fast approaching. ...

OTP Group Tashkent GS 2026
Tashkent Ready to Shine as Uzbekistan’s Momentum Continues

17. Feb. 2026 / Following an electrifying season opener in Paris in ...

News
Sagi Muki: A Champion at Peace

17. Feb. 2026 / For months, the question lingered: would we see Sagi ...

Interview
Christa Deguchi: Without Regret

13. Feb. 2026 / Some life journeys command respect.

JudoPod
From the Tatami to Prime Time: Dennis van der Geest’s Unlikely Second Act

13. Feb. 2026 / What happens when a world heavyweight champion walks ...

Award
Capturing the Soul of Ippon: Emanuele Di Feliciantonio Rewarded in Paris

12. Feb. 2026 / At every stop of the World Judo Tour, the athletes ...

News
Swedish Judo Honoured as Federation of the Year

11. Feb. 2026 / Recognition at national level is always special but ...

Athlete Stories
Distria Krasniqi: I Don't See a Reason to Stop

09. Feb. 2026 / Distria Krasniqi (KOS) has claimed almost every medal ...

News
The IJF and Mongolia Sign for Four New Grand Slams

08. Feb. 2026 / As the Paris Grand Slam was drawing to a close, the ...

INTERVIEW EXPRESS
Shishime Ai (JPN)

08. Jun. 2018 / The next reigning world champion to be invited to answer ...

News
5 Key Takeaways from judo’s first Tokyo 2020 qualifier

06. Jun. 2018 / Highlights from Hohhot Grand Prix 2018

VIDEO
Judo for the World in Iran

07. Jun. 2018 / In April 2018, the International Judo Federation and ...

Meeting
JUDO: A Beneficial Cause

07. Jun. 2018 / 'Society should believe in sport as a beneficial cause ...