Nur-Sultan to host Asian Judo Championship

From August 4 to 7, the Asian Judo Championship among men and women will be held in the city of Nur-Sultan at the Martial Arts Palace named after Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov, El.kz reports with reference tp olympic.kz.

In the continental championships, in four days, tatami masters will determine the strongest in individual and mixed-team competitions. About 400 judokas from 30 Asian countries are expected to participate in the tournament.

"Kazakhstan has vast experience in hosting world judo competitions. Until now, the International Judo Federation has given rights to our country, in addition to the world qualifications Grand Prix competitions, to host the World Championship among elites (2015, Nur-Sultan) and the World Championship among juniors (2019, Almaty). Since 2017, according to the calendar of the Asian Judo Union, annually our country has hosted the Asian Cup among juniors, youth and adults which is traditionally held twice a year. And this year we received the right to host the Asian Championships. This is great news not only for our athletes, but also for local judo and for fans.

Such major competitions in our country not only bring the experience for our athletes, but also strengthen our image of a sports power on the world stage. The best from Asia will gather on the capital's tatami, and new stars will light up. I think this is great news and a great opportunity for the younger generation to emulate their idol athletes.

In turn, by the decision of the coaching staff from the composition of the men's and women's teams of Kazakhstan, athletes from both the main and substitute teams will participate. If for judokas of the national team this continental championships are preparation for the main competition of the year, that is, for the World Championships, then for young judokas who have just joined the national team, participation in the Asian championship will allow them to feel the atmosphere of major competitions and gain experience,” says the Acting President Judo Federation of Kazakhstan Askhat Zhitkeev.

It should be noted that according to the rules of the IJF, the winners and prize-winners of the Asian Championship in the Olympic rating are added points. In particular, the winner will receive 700 points, 2nd place - 490 and 3rd place - 350 points.