Around 670 athletes from nearly 100 countries will be aiming for glory knowing the championships in Doha will also count towards qualification for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris with each judoka in a position to earn up to 2,000 points - the highest possible - for the Olympic ranking.
With 15 world titles up for grabs, including 7 individual categories for men and women, and a team event on the final day, the championships promises to be a thrilling spectacle until the last day on May 14.
According to Vlad Marinescu, the Director General of the International Judo Federation (IJF), the judokas are ready for what would be a ‘thrilling world championships’.
“This is a very interesting event. We have the world number oness, twos and threes and so on. We have the Olympic champions trying to take the world titles back. We have young athletes trying to win their first world titles There are people trying to make a name for themselves because the Olympic Games are coming next year. Everyone is properly focused at these world championships,”
Marinescu said at a pre-event press conference.
“The development of growth within the judo family relies on a bigger funnel; this is imperative. All the work that we have undertaken has been to grow our base,” he said. “We are in this beautiful city Doha to organise these world championships. It’s a pleasure to see such a large number of media folks here. Your voice is our voice. We are here to support you so that you can report on the championships with accuracy and ease. It has been an honour to work with Sheikh Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Thani and his team,” he said.
“We are grateful to QOC president HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani for all the support given to us in our preparations for this championships. I am positive that with great synergy between IJF, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the fans, we will break all records. There are 50 million judo fans around the world, I am positive we will have a great time here,” he added.
Sheikh Hamad, Chairman of Media and Broadcasting Committee, said: “Qatar is no stranger to hosting world-class sports events. Hopefully we will have the best ever judo championships here in Doha. The LOC has made tremendous efforts to set up everything to cater to world and local media. We will provide the best environment for all those associated with the championships. I want to thank IJF for their help. They have been very supportive right throughout our preparations phase.”
Stars to watch in each weight class
Men-60kg Takato Naohisa (Japan), Yang Yung Wei (Chinese Taipei)
-66kg Abe Hifumi (Japan), Maruyama Joshiro (Japan)
-73kg Hashimoto Soichi (Japan), Lasha Shavdatuashvili (Georgia)
-81kg Matthias Casse (Belgium), Tato Grigalashvili (Georgia)
-90 kg Lasha Bekauri (Georgia), Davlat Bobonov (Uzbekistan)
-100 kg Ilia Sulamanidze (Georgia), Michael Korrel (Netherlands)
+100kg Teddy Riner (France), Saro Tatsuru (Japan)
Women
-48kg Tsunoda Natsumi (Japan), Shirine Boukli (France)
-52 kg Abe Uta (Japan), Amandine Buchard (France), Distria Krasniqi (Kosovo)
-57kg Rafaela Silva (Brazil), Nora Gjakova (Kosovo)
-63kg Clarisse Agbegnenou (France), Horikawa Megumi (Japan)
-70kg Barbara Matic (Croatia), Niizoe Saki (Japan)
-78kg Alice Bellandi (Italy), Audrey Tcheumeo (France)
+78kg Romane Dicko (France), Akira Sone (Japan)
Schedule. Final Blocks start at 6:00pmSunday 7 May: women’s -48kg; men’s -60kg
Monday 8 May: women’s -52kg; men’s -66kg
Tuesday 9 May: women’s -57kg; men’s -73kg
Wednesday 10 May: women’s -63kg; men’s -81kg
Thursday 11 May: women’s -70kg; men’s -90kg
Friday 12 May: women’s -78kg, men’s -100kg
Saturday 13 May: women’s +78kg, men’s +100kg
Sunday 14 May: mixed teams event
