Mr. Haruki Uemura, IJF World Promotion Director, welcomed all delegates to the draw in name of IJF President Marius Vizer. “We have a record number of judokas present, therefore I like to thank the German Judo Federation for their hard work preparing this event”, he said. “I wish all the athletes best of luck in the tournament, while competing according to the genuine judo spirit and expressing proper behavior. Let them be respectful towards their opponents, to apply proper gripping and apply waza from proper posture. And to always try ippon showcasing their best performance. Finally, I will take this opportunity to thank everybody for their effort to make this tournament a successful event.”
Then the floor was given to Peter Frese, the President of the German Judo Federation (DJB). “I would like to welcome you all for the second time here in Düsseldorf, a genuine sport city.” In his opening address, the DJB President took the opportunity to thank IJF President Vizer for his support, as well as the local government and the city. “A big thank you also to all volunteers working for the international judo family. I hope you enjoy your stay in Düsseldorf and I wish every team a successful event.”
Next, Mr. Vladimir Barta, IJF Head Sport Director conducted the draw. Mr. Barta stressed once more the high number of entries, i.e. 606, which already marks the success of this Grand Slam.
After the draw, Mr. Jan Snijders, IJF Head Referee Director, took the floor to point out some technicalities for the coaches to pay attention to.
Mrs. Andrea Ember, IJF Anti-Doping Coordinator, spoke about the changes in the anti-doping regime and testing protocols while referring to the documents on the IJF website. Furthermore, Mrs. Ember pinpointed the legislative aspects of anti-doping control to the judo coaches present.
Dr. Lisa Allan, IJF Competition Manager announced some changes in the schedule due to the large number of athletes competing in the tournament. On Friday 22 February and Sunday 24 February, competition will start at 8h30, while Saturday it will start at 9h00. All final blocks will start at 17h00. Dr. Allan also presented some guidance regarding the warm-up areas and gave details about the training facilities put in place by the German Judo Federation.
Numbers
WOMEN (244)
-48kg: 33 athletes
-52kg: 39 athletes
-57kg: 39 athletes
-63kg: 40 athletes
-70kg: 34 athletes
-78kg: 32 athletes
+78kg: 27 athletes
MEN (362)
-60kg: 35 athletes
-66kg: 54 athletes
-73kg: 58 athletes
-81kg: 58 athletes
-90kg: 62 athletes
-100kg: 58 athletes
+100kg: 37 athletes