At the draw, just hours away from the first contests of the tournament, guests and organisers gathered to oversee the distribution of the judoka and deliver all-important contest information to coaches and athletes ahead of their final analysis and preparation.
Present for the International Judo Federation were IJF General Treasurer Dr Naser Al Tamimi, IJF Sport Director Mr Kosei Inoue and IJF Head Referee Director Mr Armen Bagdasarov. For the All Japan Judo Federation, AJJF President Mr Shinichi Nakamura, Kodokan Judo Institute President Mr Haruki Uemura and AJJF Vice President Mr Shinji Hosokawa were in attendance.
The first welcome speech was delivered by IJF General Treasurer Dr Naser Al Tamimi, “Good afternoon Mr Nakamura, Mr Uemura and all guests, on behalf of Mr Marius Vizer and the IJF EC members. I thank you again for the hosting of the Tokyo Grand Slam and bringing us all back to the home of judo. Thanks to all local and international media and sponsors for supporting our event annually. I also wish to thank the IJF and AJJF staff for their hard work, all making this competition successful. I wish good luck to all judoka in this competition.”
AJJF President Mr Shinichi Nakamura then took the floor, “Dear President Vizer, IJF Executive Committee members, dear judo family, it is a great pleasure to welcome you all to the Tokyo Grand Slam. The best judoka from around the world have gathered here in Japan. The road to the Los Angeles Olympic Games has begun and we are ready for an exciting weekend of judo. I hope all teams and athletes can showcase the results of their hard work and effort."
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Vizer and the IJF for their continued support and partnership. I would also like to thank all of our sponsors, especially Park24 Group, as well as our new broadcasting partner Fuji TV for their valuable contributions. Thank you and I wish you all the best!”
Mr Armen Bagdasarov then confirmed that 16 of the world’s best referees have been selected to officiate at the prestigious Tokyo Grand Slam. The team of supervisors and referee directors will work collaboratively with the referees to ensure fair and transparent decisions throughout the competition.
IJF Sport Director Mr Kosei Inoue, no stranger to competing on such a big stage, then ran the mechanics of the draw, thanking the IJF IT team for their hard work in preparing all the unseen workings of the draw and competition management systems.
The contests of all 14 categories are therefore now known, available on the JudoTV platform. All that remains is for a final night’s sleep! The excitement begins at 10:00 on day one, final block at 17:00. Day two is an hour earlier, beginning at 09:00, final block at 16:00.
See you there!