The International Judo Federation (IJF) President Marius Vizer presented Judo Austria President Martin Poiger with the IJF Gold Medal of Honour during a huge judo training camp in Mittersill (Austria).

At the end of 2023, the Ministry of Youth and Sport organised a gala ceremony on 26 December to celebrate the remarkable achievements in sport during 2023. The event concluded with the awarding of prizes to winners in various categories.

For several years, the International Judo Federation has understood its responsibility in the fight against climate change and global warming and has decided to take action to limit its impact on the planet. This has included the appointment of two Climate Ambassadors (Sabrina Filzmoser and Flavio Canto) and the launch of initiatives such as 'Plant a Tree,' which was the theme of World Judo Day in 2019.

The International Judo Federation president Marius Vizer summarised the achievements of IJF in 2023.

The Tunisian Judo Federation, led by Skander Hachicha, has been recognised for its promotion of international relations. The prize awarded by the Japanese Foreign Minister, was presented to the Tunisian Judo Federation on Tuesday 12 December at the Japanese Embassy in Tunisia.

Pristina became the centre of European Judo at the weekend. The inaugural edition of the European Judo Championships Open was held in Kosovo’s capital. The tournament consisted of two events: the 57 kg weight category in women’s judo and the 73 kg weight category in men’s judo. 

International Judo Federation (IJF) announced on December 15 that the 2024 Judo World Championships will take place in Abu Dhabi in May 2024.

Jean-Luc Rougé (France) has just been added to an exclusive group of outstanding judoka, as his 10th dan is ratified after a unanimous vote of the IJF Executive Committee.

2022 European Champion, Gemma Howell yesterday, December 11, announced her retirement from judo. During a highly successful judo career, Gemma reached the podium for Great Britain Judo at the European Championships in Sofia and Tel Aviv, represented Team GB at two Olympic Games (London and Tokyo) and picked up multiple medals on the IJF World Tour.

Last week was important for European Judo not only because of the European Champions League in Belgrade, but also because of the EJU Ordinary Congress which was held again in Serbia’s capital.

Serbian OJK Belgrade win the European Club Championships in Belgrade held on December 9. In the men's Champions League final they beat Greece’s Aris 3:0. Filip Djinovic (+90) and Spanish legionnaires Alberto Gaitero Martin (-66) and Jorge Cano Garcia (-73) scored the points for the underdogs. Aleksandar Nerandzic(-81) and Darko Brasnjovic (-90) did not play in the final.

One of the main questions of day two of Tokyo Grand Slam 2023 was if Hifumi and Uta Abes could win their next tournament. Since 2018 they have won together the 2020 Olympic Games, 2018, 2022 and 2023 World Championships, various Grand Slam titles. And the answer to the question was quite predictable - yes.

Azerbaijani judoka Hidayat Heydarov established himself as the main contender for the Paris 2024 gold medal on the first day of the 2023 Tokyo Grand Slam. 

The Tokyo Grand Slam has always been an attractive tournament for the world’s best judokas. The last event of the World Judo Tour 2023. It is always a pleasure for them to compete in the homeland of judo, and also the successful participation will allow the athletes to gain points for Paris 2024 qualification.

Two time Olympic champion Lukas Krpalek (+100 kg) from Czech Republic is heading to Japan, but his participation in the Tokyo Grand Slam 2023 is still under question.