Nearly 300 young judokas from 10 countries are competing in one of the European Judo Union's key youth development events
The European Judo Hopes Tournament has officially started in Baku, İdman.Biz reports.
Organized jointly by the European Judo Union (EJU) and the Azerbaijan Judo Federation, the competition is being held at the Absheron Olympic Sports Complex and has brought together 289 young judokas representing 81 clubs from 10 countries.
The two-day event features athletes from Azerbaijan, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Türkiye and Ukraine competing in the U-14 and U-16 age categories. The field includes 245 boys and 44 girls.
Alongside the tournament, technical seminars are being held from July 24 to 26 for participants. The sessions are led by Kodokan expert, three-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist Misato Nakamura, as well as Olympic medalist Maria Centracchio. The seminars focus on modern technical approaches, advanced judo techniques and training methodologies.
The European Judo Hopes Tournament is one of the EJU's flagship projects aimed at developing young judokas. The event provides valuable international experience, strengthens cooperation between different judo schools and helps nurture the next generation of promising athletes.
