Home crowd energy: Georgia’s deepest squad aims to light up Tbilisi 2026

Tbilisi is getting ready for four days of big-time judo, and you can already feel the build-up. The European Championships return to Georgia from 16–19 April 2026, and with final entries confirmed on 27 March, the host nation is showing its hand: 18 judoka, one of the largest delegations in the event.

Georgia arrive with more than just home advantage. They are the reigning mixed team world champions and bring a roster stacked with world and Olympic winners, giving them real depth across men’s and women’s divisions.

The men’s line-up is loaded, starting with -90 kg, where Georgia have long been a powerhouse. Lasha Bekauri, the double Olympic champion, carries three continental titles across age groups and knows how to win in front of his own fans: he took Tbilisi Grand Slam gold in both 2023 and 2024. Now the question is whether he can keep that perfect home record going at a European Championships.

In Tbilisi, momentum can swing fast when the crowd gets behind a grip fight.

Sharing the spotlight is Tato Grigalashvili, a three-time world champion who has proven he can threaten at -81 kg and -90 kg. The Paris 2024 silver medallist is dangerous in tachi-waza and ne-waza, and his recent gold at a higher weight at the 2026 Upper Austria Grand Prix underlined that versatility. Add an 18-event individual podium streak dating back to 2021 and multiple European Championship medals, and he arrives as a constant problem for anyone in the draw.

The -90 kg depth doesn’t stop there. Luka Maisuradze, the 2023 world champion, comes in fresh from Grand Slam gold on this same tatami and is chasing another continental crown in front of the home crowd.

In the heavier categories, attention turns to Ilia Sulamanidze, the reigning European champion at -100 kg, and Guram Tushishvili, Olympic silver medallist and seeded second at +100 kg as he hunts a first European title since 2019. Vazha Margvelashvili adds more class at -66 kg, while Lasha Shavdatuashvili—former world and Olympic champion at -73 kg—looks to end a long wait for a European title, last claimed in 2013, with three Tbilisi Grand Slam wins already in his history.

On the women’s side, Eteri Liparteliani leads at -57 kg as reigning world champion and top seed. After taking silver at the 2025 Europeans, she’s aiming to finally complete her senior European title set. Nino Loladze, still just 21, continues her rise at -57 kg, and Mariam Tchanturia will hope that competing at home helps her find the consistency she’s been chasing at senior level.

The action is available live on JUDOTV.com, with updates on EJU.net.

Source: EJU_News