Baku prepares to host World Judo Championships

A press conference was held on preparations and organizational issues related to the World Judo Championships to be held in Baku, Report informs.

The event was attended by Azerbaijan Judo Federation Vice President Elnur Mammadli, Executive Vice President Rashad Rasullu, Head of the Sports Department at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Elnur Mammadov, representatives of the National Olympic Committee, media representatives and guests.

First, a video presenting the official logo of the tournament, which will be held in Baku on October 4-11, and a promotional video for the competition were shown.

Rashad Rasullu said preparations for the World Championships were continuing according to plan. He noted that the Azerbaijan Judo Federation is working in close coordination with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the National Olympic Committee and the International Judo Federation to organize the event at a high level.

Rasullu said ticket sales for the World Championships began on July 2. Fans can buy tickets both online and at iTicket sales points operating in the city. He noted strong interest from fans, saying 670 tickets had been sold so far.

The executive vice president said the official regulations of the competition had been published by the International Judo Federation on July 3, and all organizational processes, including media accreditation, were continuing according to the approved schedule.

More than 600 judokas from around 100 countries are expected to take part in the World Championships. Leading judo nations such as Japan and France have already announced their squads for the tournament. Olympic, world and continental champions, as well as some of the strongest athletes in world judo, will compete in Baku.

Speaking about the national team's preparations, Rasullu said the team had taken part in international training camps in Austria, Belgium, France, Uzbekistan, Czechia, Georgia, Spain, Italy and Mongolia since the beginning of the year. Several team members are currently training in Japan, while the main squad is continuing preparations in Gusar, at Shahdag.

According to him, the national team is expected to take part in an international training camp in Kazakhstan on August 5-15. International training camps involving several foreign national teams are also planned in Baku in the coming months.

Azerbaijan's final squad for the World Championships will be announced after the Grand Slam tournament in Hungary on September 11-13. The main criteria for selecting the squad will be results at Grand Slam tournaments and the professional attitude shown by athletes during training.