"From an organisational point of view, these championships are a great success. The biggest challenge was and is all the logistics that are inherent in the organisation of such an event. You have to think of everything, the smallest detail counts. We have a great team. We were ready and we are happy despite the logical fatigue."
It must be said that the Portuguese Judo Federation has not been slow in 2023. It began with a World Judo Tour grand prix at the start of the season, then there were several continental events, a refereeing seminar and now this world championships. "The difficulty lay in the sequence of events. We had the desire to organise them and the opportunities presented themselves. We did not hesitate. There were coincidences, but above all a great desire to give to Portugal the place it deserves in Europe and in the world. Even if there was a change in the management team of the federation, we have ensured continuity and I am very satisfied with that."
This busy calendar has one objective, “Our clear goal is to develop judo in Portugal and contribute to its development in the world. From a sporting point of view, we are already targeting the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. That's why we have undertaken in-depth work with our cadets and juniors. Having a junior world championship at home gives new opportunities to our young athletes. We are lucky to have high-level competitors who are real pillars at a global level. The transition with the younger generation is essential and that is what we are working on."
However, the federation does not put all its eggs in one basket and other sectors are positively impacted by the current development. "You saw yesterday during the opening ceremony, we pay a lot of attention to other groups like these judoka with Down syndrome. We also have a great team of visually impaired and deaf people. We will soon organise a major judo seminar for them. We consider that including all judoka is important and carries the values of our sport."
As President Pina pointed out, "Portuguese judo is doing well. Today we have more than 16,000 judoka and 251 clubs in the country and we intend to further increase these statistics. Our federation is in good shape and we want to see Portuguese judo shine even higher and stronger. We want to create the ideal conditions for our athletes. We will continue to have major international events here in Portugal and we want to continue working hand in hand with the IJF."
An appointment has already been made with Portugal next January for the first grand prix of a 2024 season, the culmination of which will be in Paris in July 2024. Until then, President Pina and his team will continue to be talked about and above all will continue to play an important role in the development of judo.