Message from the IJF President
Welcome to Abu Dhabi and the last quarter of the 2024 World Judo Tour.
It has been a year that included the biggest of all sporting showcases, the Olympic Games. Paris was an incredible experience, one that our judo family shared and celebrated throughout 8 days of intense competition. Now that Paris is behind us and a new Olympic cycle has begun, we find ourselves in a new era with a generation of athletes arriving who will become our family as we congratulate those who are leaving us, moving on from the World Judo Tour.
Zagreb hosted the first senior World Judo Tour event of this period with the always successful and well-attended grand prix we have become used to but now we meet in Abu Dhabi at the first post-Paris grand slam and it is an exciting prospect.
At the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam we are promised first class hospitality amid a bustling city that boasts both state-of-the-art architecture and respect for the region’s history and cultures. It is the perfect destination to stage the penultimate World Judo Tour event of 2024.
I continue to be proud of our sport and its dedicated people, who strive to excel in ever-changing circumstances; it is testament to our values and spirit that we always find a way to prevail. I wish all delegations, judoka, volunteers and organisers a fulfilling expedition. Abu Dhabi is, as always, at your service.
Yours in judo,
Marius L. VIZER
President International Judo Federation