Azerbaijan have officially announced their final squad for the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam, which will take place in the Mongolian capital from June 19 to 21.
As reported by İdman.Biz, citing the Azerbaijan Judo Federation, the national team will be represented by 17 judokas across 12 weight categories.
The men's team includes Ahmad Yusifov and Balabay Aghayev (60 kg), Nizami Imranov and Ruslan Pashayev (66 kg), Hidayat Heydarov and Rashid Mammadaliyev (73 kg), Zelim Tckaev (81 kg), Murad Fatiyev and Aslan Kotsoyev (90 kg), Zelim Kotsoyev (100 kg), and Jamal Gamzatkhanov and Kenan Nasibov (+100 kg).
The women's squad features Shafag Hamidova (48 kg), Gultaj Mammadaliyeva (52 kg), Fidan Alizade (63 kg), Sudaba Agayeva (70 kg) and Madina Kaisinova (+78 kg).
The delegation will be led by men's head coach Richard Trautmann, senior coaches Elkhan Mammadov and Robert Krawczyk, as well as women's head coach Amina Abdellatif and senior coach Sascha Herkenrath-Wymar.
A total of 455 judokas from 59 countries, including 254 men and 201 women, are expected to compete during the three-day event.
The tournament holds special significance as it will be the first event of the new Olympic cycle where athletes can earn qualification ranking points toward the next Olympic Games. Azerbaijan will also be represented among the officials, with A-category international referee Nazim Umbayev selected to work at the competition.
The Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam is part of the IJF World Tour and is expected to attract many of the world's leading judokas as they begin their road to the next Olympics.
