"We have witnessed a very high-level Olympic tournament. We hoped for it, we were convinced that it would be the case, but until the event takes place, we can never be totally sure of its success. I believe that we can really be very proud of the work accomplished in recent years.
I have a particular attachment to the mixed team tournament and the one we attended this summer was simply extraordinary, worthy of a great Hollywood blockbuster. No-one could have imagined the outcome of the final between France and Japan.
We have worked hard to allow as many teams as possible to take part in the tournament. A change, admittedly small but significant, has been made in the regulations, which has allowed 5 teams to obtain a wild card, allowing us to have 19 teams entered in Paris and thus be one of the sports with the most teams represented. It is a remarkable result.
The years of Olympic qualification that we had before Paris 2024 have been exciting. It represented a great effort from all the national federations and a huge effort from the IJF which supported many federations so that they could have their chance. Qualifying for the Games is always a challenge. It is for the national federations and their athletes and it is for us as organisers. We can count on very professional teams and staff. When the lists are published, it is like when the baby we were waiting for is born.
Since London 2012, this is my fourth Games as Sport Director. We have been very fortunate to organise the Olympic competitions in countries where judo is strongly rooted. This has contributed greatly to the success of judo. In the last weeks before Paris 2024, I was pleasantly surprised to see some top athletes participating in continental competitions until the last moment to improve their world ranking. This shows how much everyone understood what was at stake.
In my opinion, one of the major legacies of this Olympic cycle is the unprecedented development of women's judo. We are seeing new countries emerge and perform at the highest level. The most striking example is undoubtedly that of Diyora Keldiyorova (UZB) who became the first Olympic champion in judo, men and women combined, for Uzbekistan. The impact of her victory is major. She is not the only one.
As I was saying, the involvement of the national federations throughout the qualification process was total and I thank them for it. A good sign is that we have fewer and fewer questions from them about the modus operandi. The federations are more and more professional. They know what they have to do and they do it well.
Paris 2024 marks a turning point in the development of our sport. This was the case during the Olympic Games, but also during the Paralympic Games, during which judo was a great, popular success. It warms the heart to see how inclusive judo is, without discrimination, and above all that it offers everyone the opportunity to shine at the highest level."
With the reopening of the World Judo Tour in Zagreb, Vladimir Barta is already looking to the future and to the Los Angeles 2028 Games. As he points out, we are now at a generational turning point. Some judoka will end their careers, others will decide to continue, as Lukáš Krpálek (CZE) announced last week. A new generation of champions is also emerging as we saw in Lima a few weeks ago during the cadet world championships and as we see here in Croatia. All this already heralds a new Olympic cycle that promises to be exciting.