Thea Cowen

It was a tough start to the final block on day two of the Rome European Open 2024, with an all-Georgian final in the -81kg category between Vladimir AKHALKATSI and Irakli BEROSHVILI. It started as a cagey contest, both aware of the others abilities, but it was Beroshvili that truly committed, his timing and placement was perfect, a huge koshi…

The U23 European Judo Championships in Pila, Poland, will provide a critical platform for emerging judo talents to transition onto the senior tour. Many young judokas, including recent Cadet and Junior champions, are set to compete, showcasing the depth of talent moving into higher competition levels. Notable competitors across weight categories include Olympic, World, and European titleholders, adding both high stakes and visibility to the event.

The European Judo Hopes Cup and Technical Session with Kodokan Experts is concluding the year of 2024 in Riga. Over the past months, this has been an incredible addition to the EJU Calendar, giving unrivalled opportunity to young athletes from around Europe. The Kodokan expert invited to this event is TAKIMOTO Makoto, who will deliver the technical session and be…

Opening day one of the U23 European Championships were the -48kg women. Current Olympic bronze medallist, Tara BABULFATH (SWE) battled it out against Giulia GHIGLIONE (ITA) for the U23 title, after already enduring a 10 minute contest in the semi final with Ghiglione’s team mate and eventual bronze medallist, Asia AVANZATO. Unfortunately for Ghiglione, she made the mistake of going…

For Tara BABULFATH of Sweden, 2024 has been a wild ride. Claiming her first Grand Slam, Grand Prix, Senior World Championships medals, and then the cherry on the cake, an Olympic bronze medal. It was a fairytale experience unlike no other, however it could have all come crashing down. It was not punished on site during the Paris Olympic Games,…

It is a bittersweet conclusion to the weekend of the 2024 U23 European Championships in Pila, Poland, as we say goodbye to a wonderful host city, as well as President Jacek ZAWADKA. Though Zawadka holds a position in the European Judo Union, and he will be still be on the circuit, it is time to hang up his hat as…

Agron KUKA, President of Kosovo Judo and EJU Sport Director, discussed the rise of popularity of judo in Kosovo as well as the expansion of the EJU calendar and the goal of our organisation moving in to the new year. First however, Kuka took the opportunity to mention the most recent event; the U23 European Championships when discussing with EJU…

Opening the European Judo Tour in 2025 will be Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana. In a bid to enhance the profile of more nations in Europe, the European Judo Union has created a strategy that places limitations to hold numerous events, and so Slovenia has upgraded from a Senior Cup, to a European Open. Speaking with the General Secretary of the Slovenia…

On day one of the Tokyo Grand Slam, Japan heard their national anthem played seven times for the seven gold medals won in the lightweight categories, however on day two, the celebrations were somewhat stopped in their tracks. Storming through the -100kg category was current European Champion, Matvey KANIKOVSKIY (IJF), a formidable athlete who plays his cards close to his…

The International Judo Federation have announced the new rules to the National Federations ahead of the Technical Seminar which will be held on the 14th and 15th of December in Istanbul, Türkiye. These rules will see the reintroduction of scores, elimination of penalties in some respects and the allowance of techniques which previously resulted in disqualification. The rules will be…