Győr’s judo weekend brings Europe’s young talent onto a bigger stage

Győr became a major judo meeting point this weekend as the European Judo Union’s Judo Hopes Tournament drew hundreds of young athletes to western Hungary. While much of the country was watching football in Budapest, the Olympic Sports Park in Győr was filling up with U14 and U16 judoka, coaches and families from across Europe.

The scale of the event quickly stood out. A total of 556 young athletes from 139 clubs and 23 European countries entered the Hungarian stop of the tournament, with more than 100 coaches also making the trip. Interest was so strong that the venue’s dedicated judo hall was not enough, and the action moved into the largest arena, where four competition tatami were installed.

That setting added weight to the feeling that this was more than a normal youth competition. At Friday’s opening ceremony, European Judo Union President Dr Tóth László welcomed the participants and underlined the wider purpose of the programme: development, experience and exposure to higher standards of the sport.

He also revealed that the programme could continue to grow, with the EJU set to ask its member federations whether an official European Championship for the U16 age group could be introduced as early as next year. For the athletes in Győr, that made the weekend feel even more significant.

Two major names then brought extra energy to the event. Japan’s Misato Nakamura, a two-time Olympic medallist and three-time world champion, joined Portugal’s Telma Monteiro, Olympic medallist and six-time European champion, for the opening. Instead of long speeches, they stepped straight onto the tatami and led a 90-minute seminar before dinner.

For the young judoka, that was one of the defining moments of the weekend. Nakamura and Monteiro guided them through standing and groundwork techniques, turning the packed arena into a live classroom. The atmosphere was described as electric, with athletes crowding onto the mats and trying to take in every detail.

In Győr, learning shared the spotlight with winning.

Monteiro’s presence also gave the event a clear European highlight. One of the continent’s most decorated judoka, she helped connect elite-level experience with the next generation coming through the ranks. Alongside Nakamura, she returned on Saturday to continue the technical sessions for athletes who were not competing.

Competition itself began on Saturday, 30 May, with half of the U14 weight categories contested in the morning session and half of the U16 divisions following in the afternoon. The matches were spread across four tatami, underlining again how large this stop of the Judo Hopes Tournament had become.

But the strongest image from Győr may not be a single result. It may be the sight of athletes from 23 nations sharing the same space, learning from champions and meeting one another through judo. Different languages and different backgrounds were present in the arena, yet the common thread was obvious all weekend.

Győr did not just host a tournament. It hosted a full judo weekend, one where competition, education and international connection all moved together.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union