A judo fever swept through the capital since the European Judo Championships Seniors took place in Croatia for the first time. Organized by the European Judo Union (EJU) and the host – Croatian Judo Federation (HJS), the competition took place at the Zagreb Arena with individual competitions from 25 to 27 April and mixed teams competition on 28 April.
The sports spectacle in Zagreb hosted 427 competitors from 47 European countries, including 240 male and 187 female judokas. Seven world number ones, four Olympic champions, 17 world champions and 35 European champions competed for points for the world ranking and medals at the European Championships. Throughout the 4 days of the competition, around 10,000 people visited the Zagreb Arena.
Strong Croatian judo forces
Croatian female judokas are among the best in the world. Following Barbara Matić's triumph (-70 kg/JK “Pujanke”, Split) at the 2021 World Championships in Budapest, less than a year later, at the championship in Uzbekistan, two Croatian judokas faced off in the final, a success achieved by only five nations worldwide so far. On that occasion, Barbara Matić defended the gold, while Lara Cvjetko (-70 kg/JK “Solin”) became the world runner-up.
As part of this European Championships in Zagreb, Barbara Matić achieved another historic result – the European title. Lara Cvjetko won the bronze medal in the same category. The fifth place went to Katarina Krišto (-63 kg/JK “Dalmacijacement”, Kaštel Sućurac) and Zlatko Kumrić (-100 kg /AJK “Student”, Split).
The international conference “Children in Sport – Champions in Life”
While the second day of the European Championships was underway at the Arena, the international conference “Children in Sport – Champions in Life” took place at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb. The conference was organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian Judo Federation and it brought together more than 50 participants.
Photo credit: Emanuele Di Feliciantonio (EJU)
The conference was opened with an introductory speech by the President of the European Judo Union (EJU), dr. sc. László Tóth, who emphasized his immense pride in the conference, especially because it happens on the 75th anniversary of the EJU. He also highlighted that children are our legacy. What followed was the speech by the President of the International Judo Federation, Marius L. Vizer, who reminded us of the importance of such conferences. The Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, dr. sc. Nikolina Brnjac greeted all the participants and added how much she looks forward to the European Judo Championships. She also emphasized the importance of sports in the upbringing of children and in the process of shaping them into capable individuals who learn about fair play, teamwork and how to deal with defeat through sports and make lifelong friendships.
The conference featured a series of panels on the positive impact of sports on youth, on athletes as influencers and promoters of social values and on the social and economic benefits brought by sports events.
During the European Championships, an additional children's camp was organized, with over 1,100 children participating. After the second day of individual competitions, the celebration of the winners, as well as all participants, continued into the evening hours. That evening in Zagreb, a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the European Judo Union and a Gala dinner were held, where the best male and female athletes for the year 2023 were awarded.
Header image credit: Tino Marić (HJS)