Today's Edition
Abu Dhabi (Aletihad)
A record 682 players from 110 countries will be seen in action at the World Judo Championships in Abu Dhabi from Sunday to May 24, organised by the UAE Judo Federation in close coordination with the International Judo Federation.
The competition for Individuals and Mixed Teams will be held at the Mubadala Arena; delegations from around the world and fans from the UAE and across the region have started to descend in the Emirate.
The organising committee is targeting audiences from across the UAE and the region for this mega sporting event to be held at the Mubadala Arena.
Now in its 37th edition, the World Championships is the final qualifying round for athletes and there is expected to be a frenzied race for the limited spots on offer towards qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games. The judo competition in Paris is to be held from July 27 to August 2.
Of the attending athletes, 362 men and 320 females will be participating in seven different weight categories each, all vying for a share of the €1 million total prize money on offer for the competition.
The last World Championships that were held in Doha attracted a field of 657 judokas from 99 countries.
In Abu Dhabi, the women will compete in the Under-48kg, -52kg, -57kg, -63kg, -70kg, -78kg and Over 78kg weight categories, while the men will be in action in the -60kg, -66kg, -73kg, -81kg, -90kg, -100kg and +100kg weight categories.
The UAE national team will be among the leading favourites along with strong contenders from France, Japan, Brazil, Canada along with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Bahrain, Algeria and Tunisia.
Also present will be one of the greats in Judo, Frenchman Teddy Riner, who holds the distinction being the youngest and the oldest world champion.
Riner became the youngest world champion when he won at the 2007 edition as an 18-year-old, and he also clinched gold at the 2023 championships in Doha last year to become the oldest champion at 34 years and 36 days.
Other prominent world champions who will be seen in action include Yang Yung-wei of Taiwan (-60kg), Matthias Casse of Belgium (-81kg), Tajikistan’s Temur Rakhimov (+100kg), all in the men’s competition.
Confirmed so far in the women’s categories are Italy’s Assunta Scutto (-48kg), the Canadian duo of Christa Deguchi (-57kg) and Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (-48kg) and Croatia’s Barbara Matic (-70kg).
Attractive prizes for the top medal winners as well as their coaches are on offer.
Each of the gold medal winners will get €26,000 (€20,800 for the champion and €5,200 for the coach), while the silver medal winners will get €15,000 (12,000-3,000 for player-coach respectively) and the bronze medallists will get €8,000 (6,400-1,600).
In the teams competition, reserved for the final day, the gold medal winners will be richer by €90,000, while the silver medallists will get €48,000. At the bottom of the podium, the bronze medal winners will get €25,000.
His Excellency Mohammed Bin Tha’aloob Saleem Al Darie, President of the UAE Judo Federation and Chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee, has expressed pleasue at the overwhelming response to the competition that has given the UAE a new certificate of excellence in hosting international sporting events.
“We extend our deepest thanks and gratitude to the wise leadership of the country for its support and comprehensive and insightful vision that has made the UAE one of the most important sporting destinations in the world. Led by its unique components such as security, tolerance and modern and advanced sports infrastructure, there has been a lot of support for national cadres who are gaining accumulated experience that will qualify them to manage such major tournaments with efficiency and professionalism,” Al Darie noted.
“The overwhelming response to the registration till the final hours of deadline reflects the keenness of all countries and players to participate in the competition. Not only have we been able to attract a record 110 countries, we have also managed to have most of the former and current world champions lining up for a slice of the action in Abu Dhabi,” he added.
