Belgian Matthias Casse has been impressed by the organisation, “Everything has worked perfectly. As for the impossibility of leaving the hotel to relax walking, we are used to it and it was necessary to avoid infections."
His colleague in the -81kg category, Antonio Esposito (ITA), goes even further. The Italian praises the work of the organisers and the International Judo Federation because, he says, “it is the first time that aeroplanes have been chartered only for athletes, to travel there and back. Without that decision this tournament would not have been held."
The French gold medalist at -48kg, Shirine Boukli, has been impressed with the efficiency and speed of performing the PCR tests and communicating the results. "Less than 24 hours for half a thousand people. I was impressed."
Her compatriot and also winner in Tel Aviv, at -70kg, Margaux Pinot, replied with humour, "If I had to look for something negative, I would say the weather, too much rain and wind."
The picturesque touch is provided by Frank De Wit (NED), "The organisation has exceeded all expectations, but this morning I could not have breakfast," he says with a huge laugh. “It's normal, today is Shabbat.”
They all agree on the essentials and also on the details. To sum up, given the situation, it was a great event, with a perfect organisation, a positive atmosphere and a lot of rain. The satisfaction of the athletes is the guarantee of their return next year.