Gori to host European Judo Championships event
Georgia's Golden Gori claimed a bronze medal at 2021 European Club Championships. Photo: European Judo Union.
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The central Georgian city of Gori will host the European Judo Championship Club Team - Champions League later this month, bringing together over a hundred competitors from across the world, the Georgian Judo Federation announced on Wednesday.
Submissions for the competition have seen 137 athletes - 60 men and 77 women - from four continents and 16 countries register their participation, with the roster including internationally successful wrestlers Teddy Riner, Denis Vieru, Davlat Bobonov, Manuel Lombardo, Nikoloz Sherazadishvili and Daria Bilodid.
László Tóth, the president of the European Judo Federation, said one of the reasons for Gori being elected as host city was its heritage in producing strong judo athletes and a “great reputation”, in addition to the “enthusiasm” of local fans.
Hosted in Paris last year, two Georgian clubs - Golden Gori and Warrior - took part in the Champions League. Competition for the bronze medal between the Georgian clubs ended with the win for Golden Gori at the tournament.
Georgian judokas have triumphed at the Sarajevo World Championships Cadets, with the athletes of the national team claiming two gold, one silver and three bronze medals at a competition hosted in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Georgian wrestler Giorgi Terashvili claimed a silver medal in the 73 kg category at the World Judo Juniors Championships in Ecuador on Thursday.
Georgian judokas have won a total of eight medals at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam, taking second place in the group competition after France. "The Georgian team did not bring all of their stars to Israel, but they have a quarry that seems limitless despite the size of the country. It is a team so attached to judo that it always aspires to achieve medals in any competition", the International Judo Federation said.
A street in the town of Brunete, Spain, has been named after Georgian Judoka Nikoloz Sherazadishvili, who competed for Spain at the world judo championship in Baku in September and emerged with a gold medal, becoming the first in the history of Spain to do so in the sport.
Georgian judoka Elene Kebadze has won the World Sambo Championships in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek, the sports ministry announced on Sunday.