“I think this is one of the best Cadets World Championships I have ever seen for the quality of the judo, especially on day 2, we had very good judoka, both men and women. The first day is always a little bit more difficult because you are dealing with much younger competitors and much lighter weights and we dont normally focus that much on those two light categories.
"On day 2 we had those full body athletes who showed very good judo. I was especially impressed with Russian Abrek Naguchev in the -66kg category. And then the ne-waza in the women’s judo was really impressive. So yes, I have been enjoying a lot.
"In terms of judo, if we compare the IJF World Judo Tour to Cadets, speed and power are not the same. But mistakes remain the biggest difference. We have seen so many errors in two days. This is of course normal because they are very young and are still learning. As for the rest, look at the venue, look at the logistics. It is the same.
"I dont think there is another major sport where Olympic referees work with cadets. For me there is no difference in terms of professionalism between a IJF World Judo Tour event and a Cadets World Championships. And I am surprised with the level they can perform under such pressure because they fight in front of people and on tv. The warm-up area is huge, the judogi-control is the same as for seniors, the athletes presentation, the medal ceremony. Everything is the same as the World Judo Tour so that these young athletes can already taste what it will be in the future.
"This is a really good preparation because we dont know what it is going to happen to them but we can already detect some great talents. A few of them for sure will be become Olympic and World champions and we can already see the men and women they will become.”