665 athletes, 278 women and 387 men, 118 countries, 1 million euros in prizes, a mixed team competition and a re-elected president of the International Judo Federation (IJF), Mr Marius Vizer, supported unanimously. As we said, the story is essential in our sport.
“First of all, I want to thank all the national federations and the continental unions for their support and trust. We have shown that we are a united and stable family. I want to thank the Hungarian Judo Association and its president, Dr Laszlo Toth, for organising this magnificent competition and I wish everyone the best of luck,” declared Marius Vizer.
The tone was set and President Toth picked up the baton, “We welcome the whole judo family and we are grateful that they have decided to come to Hungary to participate in this great event."
It is great indeed, from any point of view. Between athletes, delegations, employees of the International Federation and volunteers, more than a thousand people are present in Budapest with the same objective, to celebrate a very special tournament safely and fairly.
The IJF already has enough experience to guarantee the respect of health protocols that have proven their effectiveness since the first event organised in the middle of the pandemic, here in Budapest, in the autumn of 2020. It has been months of work and seriousness to complete a brilliant season in terms of results and the final fireworks are these World Championships, the last frontier before the Tokyo Olympics.
The draw was led by Dr Lisa Allan, IJF Events Director and Mr Vladimir Barta, IJF Head Sport Director. Dr Allan stressed the importance of collective work. “Respect for the rules by the delegations has been essential to develop our activities normally, which shows what we have been repeating for a long time, that is, that together we are stronger."
She also did not forget a major part of organising events: the sponsors. Without them, the sport would not be so professional and competitive. The partners, who are also part of the judo family, have remained faithful, by our side throughout these difficult times.
For his part, Vladimir Barta led the draw with its fourteen categories, in addition to the mixed team competition. In this regard, some data should be noted:
*Among women, the –52kg category has the most participants (45), while men reach their highest number (77) at –81kg.
*In the mixed team competition there are 15 countries registered with Japan being the top seed.
It should also be noted that, for the first time, the final block will showcase only the battles for the medals.
Everything has been designed to make the World Judo Championships Hungary 2021 a success. This is how the athletes, who have responded en masse to the call of the IJF, have understood it. When 12 of the 14 world number ones attend the appointment, especially less than 50 days before the Olympic Games, it means that things have been done well, that there is seriousness and that the words of judo make sense. That said, this Sunday, starting at 10am CET, the judoka have the floor.