The visibility of Tajik judo athletes has increased exponentially in the last two years. From Rasul Boqiev’s 2008 Olympic bronze, the country’s first, to Somon Makhmadbekov’s junior world title in 2019, the country had the potential and energy to become a stronger and more consistent force in international judo. The Tajikistan Judo Federation knew their potential and got down to work. In 2023 Dushanbe became a host city on the IJF World Judo Tour and the global judo community arrived in Tajikistan for the first time. The 2023 Dushanbe Grand Prix was a great success.
Ramzi Shamirov, Tajikistan Judo Federation Sport Director and IJF referee, is happy to talk about the development of Tajik judo a year and a half after that first grand prix. “Beginning with the grand prix in 2023, judo here has become so big and now, in Tajikistan, we have become a leading example for other sports. They are following our standards, seeing the professionalism of judo. The national and local judo federations have raised their standards a lot. This year Dushanbe hosted the first ever gushtingiri world championships and the Tajik Judo Federation helped them a lot. Judo is leading sport development in Tajikistan and that makes me proud."
"When we signed the contract with IJF Director General Vlad Marinescu and Tajikistan Judo Federation President Ismoil Mahmadzoir, we were so happy to have the chance to organise this junior world championships. The Tajik population is 40% youth, or in judo terms juniors; this is the future of our country. Judo is a sport of respect and education, teaching young people how to contribute to society even outside of judo.
In a short time from that first grand prix we won 2 Olympic bronze medals in Paris and a bronze at the senior world championships this year. Now there are medals in continental championships at all levels from cadets to seniors too. It is a continuous cycle of improvement now.
The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, loves sport and in public appearances he often mentions the importance of sport. If our people do sport, it’s a country of health and so we are grateful to have such a leader.
Year by year we develop and we see no signs of stopping. Thank you to the IJF for the trust placed in us and the support given to help us host these events. We are ready to welcome everyone.”