The official draw took place at the SEC at 2pm on 29th July, attended by coaches from all over the world. Conducting the draw were representatives of the International Judo Federation Dr Lisa Allan, Secretary General, Referee Director Ms Tina Trstenjak and Sport Commission member Ms Leandra Freitas. Mr Ben Pipes was present from Commonwealth Sport and Mrs Loretta Doyle of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Organising Committee completed the line-up.
Dr Lisa Allan gave the welcome address, “Good afternoon, on behalf of the International Judo Federation and its President, Mr Marius Vizer, we extend a warm welcome to Scotland. We are honoured to be here today with our colleagues from Commonwealth Sport and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 Organising Committee. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to them for their unwavering commitment, passion and dedication, which has made it possible to deliver an event of the highest organisational standard within such a short preparation period.
This event brings together our Commonwealth judo family from every corner of the world, united by our shared values, to witness the very best judoka of the Commonwealth compete in front of passionate fans, with almost every ticket sold.
In accordance with the IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, the IJF Anti-Doping Rules and the Commonwealth Sport Policies, we are committed to delivering a safe, successful and sustainable event.
A special and sincere thank you to all our member national federations for their continued trust and support. We wish everyone a wonderful competition and an unforgettable celebration of world-class judo. We wish all the athletes and delegations the very best of luck.”
Mr Ben Pipes then delivered a heartfelt message from Commonwealth Sport, “I would like to welcome everyone to Scotland, to Glasgow, ahead of the 23rd Commonwealth Games. I would also like to give thanks to Commonwealth Games Scotland, Glasgow 2026 and everyone across the Commonwealth Movement whose hard work and collaboration has brought us to this point. We are also grateful to the IJF, Technical Delegate Dr Lisa Allan and Competition Manager Loretta Doyle who have supported us on this journey.
Glasgow 2026 marks the beginning of a new chapter for Commonwealth Sport and is the first Games to be delivered through our new hosting model. Few international sporting events bring together today's champions and tomorrow's stars in quite the same way as the Commonwealth Games. This is where future champions make their breakthroughs, new rivalries begin and memorable sporting moments are created.
Everything that has happened over the past few years has been about getting to this moment, when the focus returns to the athletes, the officials and the sport itself. We are delighted to welcome you to Glasgow and thank you for being part of this important moment for our Movement. I wish everyone a successful competition and an enjoyable Commonwealth Games.”
Ms Tina Trstenjak then offered a statement about refereeing at the event, “Good afternoon dear friends. I am happy to be here in Glasgow representing the IJF Referee Commission. For this unique event, the Commonwealth Games, we are pleased to have here a selection of the world’s best referees in order to ensure consistency and high quality refereeing. We wish all judoka and coaches a successful Games and a memorable experience in beautiful Scotland.”
Ms Leandra Freitas, with support from the IJF IT Team, then conducted the mechanics of the draw itself, increasing the excitement among the teams and giving the coaches the information they need to plan the final fine tuning before kick-off on Friday 31st July.
All that remains are the final venue checks, the last delegation training sessions and the opening of the doors. The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games judo event is ready!