“Challenge 2020: A Factory of Champions” - IJF on Georgia

The International Judo Federation on Saturday published an article about Georgia, calling it a “factory of champions” and highlighting Georgian athletes’ “undeniable physical and technical qualities and skills”, as well as stressing the national judo federation’s role in “producing great champions for years”, after the country is currently in second place in the nations ranking at the World Judo Championships in Doha.

The article cited David Kevkhishvili, the Vice President of the Georgian Judo Federation, as saying that the Federation’s programme Challenge 2020 became “a big motivation” for old and younger generations of judokas, explaining the programme included the formation of two Georgian teams, one of the main national team and one for the “young promising athletes”.

With Challenge 2020, great attention was also paid to discipline. We wanted to get the young people used to the sports environment from the very beginning”, Giorgi Atabegashvili, the President of the Judo Federation, said in an interview with an IJF journalist, adding “both the federation and the judo itself in Georgia are an exemplary model for Georgian sports''.

The IJF highlighted Olympic Champion Lasha Bekauri, World Champion Luka Maisuradze and two-time World Champion Tato Grigalashvili, who joined Challenge 2020 as “promising young judokas”. 

The other countries are warned, Georgia had a plan and they implemented it in the best way possible. They still have a plan and soon or later, they will keep harvesting results and glory”, the article read.

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