During the signing ceremony, Mr Vizer declared, "Dear President Yessekeyev, dear media representatives and all judo family members, it is a great pleasure and honour to sign this new contract for events in a country of sport, a country that brings new energy and technology. Kazakhstan has a large generation of youth and a big history in judo. They have always supported the IJF and Asia with the hosting of many events. Thank you for the new partnership to bring not only a new popularity in judo but also in the media for all sport culture and values in their beautiful country. I wish Kazakhstan judo a fruitful future.”
Mr Yessekeyev said, "Thank you to Mr Vizer for supporting us in our country. This first step with the grand slam is to bring us further into the judo family. We will host the event at the best time of year for the calendar and the country, to be able to enjoy Kazakhstan at its best.
Today, we signed a new grand slam for the WJT calendar! It is a great pleasure for the IJF to be back in Kazakhstan, a country of #Judo! This is a big step towards increasing the judo’s popularity in the region. Kazakhstan is a 3rd Central Asian country to host a WJT event. pic.twitter.com/61vdXEWjp1
— Marius Vizer (@MariusVizer) February 5, 2023
From our side, Kazakhstan participates well with our athletes and this collaboration will help us to grow further on the national and international level.“