For three days, 628 competitors from 93 nations will compete on the tatami of the Antalya Sport Hall, in what has become one of the classic, major events of the world circuit. The stakes are high. In May the Abu Dhabi World Championships will take place and at the end of July the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will begin. Until then, it is on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea that everything is happening. There are still a lot of points to distribute, points which could make the difference when the time comes.
During the official draw which took place on 28th March, to represent the IJF were Dr Sanda Corak, IJF Education Director, Michael Tamura, Sport Director, and Armen Bagdasarov, Head Referee Director. On the Turkish side sat the president of the Turkish Judo Federation, Sezer Huysuz, the vice-president of the federation, Mehmet Yilmaz, and Yavuz Gürhan, Antalya Province Youth and Sports Director.
Dr Sanda Corak declared, "Dear athletes and coaches, all sport officials and judo enthusiasts, on behalf of the International Judo Federation and its president, Mr Marius Vizer, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Antalya Grand Slam 2024. It is also my pleasure to thank the Turkish Judo Federation, its president, Mr Sezer Huysuz, Vice-President Yilmaz and the Antalya Province Youth and Sports Director, Mr Yavuz Gürhan.
I am sure that with the Turkish hospitality and the professional work of the federation, we will have a successful event here, not to forget that we are in an Olympic year and our very important competitions, world championships and Olympic Games in Paris are approaching fast. Many athletes are really focused to get the best possible position on the IJF World Ranking List. So, I believe that with their motivation, we will be able to show to the world the beauty and the diversity of the judo techniques. I wish all national teams the best of luck for the draw and for the three days of competition."
Mr Sezer Huysuz declared, "Dear Dr Corak, dear Michael Tamura and dear Armen Bagdasarov, dear IJF staff and all friends, welcome to the Antalya Grand Slam 2024. I would like to thank you and welcome you to Antalya, especially on the way to Paris 2024. As the Turkish Judo Federation, we will do our best to show our hospitality and to show the best of Antalya and Türkiye to all our participants, countries and athletes. Especially, I'd like the thank Mr Marius Vizer for giving us the opportunity to organise such a big event in Antalya. I wish all the best and success to the athletes, coaches, referees and everybody who came to Antalya."
Yavuz Gürhan added, "Dear distinguished guests and members of the IJF, welcome to the beautiful city of Antalya. The next few days will be very exciting with the IJF Antalya Grand Slam and the IBSA Grand Prix. I want to invite all judo fans around the world to watch and to come to see these great events. Once again, we welcome all of you to Antalya to enjoy your stay here."
It was then time for the official draw of the competition led by Michael Tamura, after Armen Bagdasarov presented the referees. The draw can be discovered on https://judotv.com/
On day 1 the competition will begin at 09:30 as well as on day 2. On day 3 the competition will begin at 10:00. The preliminary rounds will take place on 4 tatami, the final block beginning everyday at 17:00 local time on one tatami. Follow all the action on JudoTV and on our website.
This weekend it is in Antalya that the judo is happening!