Mr Vizer opened the evening, “We had a great Congress and we will have a great World Championships and then in one month and a half we will be in Tokyo for the Olympic Games. I wish and I believe that we will end the competition in the best way possible, as we already started the week with positive energy. Thank you to all the Executive Committee members who officiated during recent years and good luck to the new ones who will be in charge during the next Olympic cycle. As we are re-united here in Budapest, I wish you all good luck for the World Judo Championships Hungary 2021."
Dr Laszlo Toth, Hungarian Judo Federation President, spoke from the heart, "First of all I want to congratulate Marius Vizer for his re-election as IJF President. I do hope that we are now almost over this pandemic. For more than a year and a half we have been working to prepare the World Championships and until the last minute we had no guarantee that we would be able to organise everything we had planned. I am asking you to understand that we are in a special period and in this pandemic time we need to be serious. You remember, for sure, our gala, organised on the occasion of the 2017 World Championships here in Budapest. It was magnificent. Tonight we are re-united for a more family-style dinner, but I am convinced that we will survive through this difficult time.
I also know that it was complicated for some countries to come here but I can promise you that in the future we will again have the music and the celebration. Together we are stronger and it is because we are united that we can overcome the biggest challenges."
The evening was gentle but was conducted with resilience and progress as the over-riding themes. Now it’s down to the serious business of the World Championships, with the final points on offer to secure Olympic qualification.