Portimão Veterans Field Tops 1,370 for European Judo Milestone

The 2026 European Judo Veterans Championships will bring more than 1,370 competitors from 36 countries to Portimão, Portugal. Scheduled for 22–25 October at the Portimão Arena, the event is set to be the largest edition in the championship’s history.

Athletes aged 30 and above will compete across four days, representing a wide range of backgrounds and national teams. The record entry underlines the continuing growth of veterans’ Judo across Europe.

France has by far the biggest delegation, with 620 athletes registered. Spain follows with 98 competitors, while Italy has entered 77, Germany 74 and Georgia 67.

More than 1,370 athletes will take part in the biggest European veterans’ Judo event yet.

The scale of the Portimão gathering becomes even clearer when compared with the competition’s beginnings. The first European Veterans Championships took place in Kecskemét, Hungary, in 2003, when 337 athletes from 26 countries competed.

Hungary played an important early role in developing veterans’ Judo in Europe. Since 2009, the European Judo Union has organised the championships regularly, with the calendar interrupted only by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

More than two decades after the first edition, the entry list has grown to more than four times its original size. Portimão now provides the stage for another major moment in the development of European veterans’ Judo.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union