Slovenia has a population of just two million people but has become a prominent nation in the sport by winning five Olympic medals since 2004 with two being gold as Urska Zolnir won -63kg gold in London and then her successor Tina Trstenjak kept the title in their team by winning in 2016.
Along with world and European medals, and a growing presence on the IJF World Judo Tour in 2018, the Slovenian Judo Federation organised the third regional IJF Academy course which was supported by IOC Olympic Solidarity and the International Judo Federation.
Slovenian students were joined by coaches from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.
Above - Watch a special behind the scenes video on the IJF Academy
The course was coordinated by the Slovenian Judo Federation Vice President and international referee, Nusa Lampe and the IJF experts who were welcomed by the Slovenian Judo Federation President, Darko Music and by the General Secretary, Franc Ocko.
“All the students thoroughly enjoyed the practical assessment and took a lot of new knowledge away with them,” said Lampe.
“The IJF was pleased with the organisation and already we are planning the next one with a greater understanding of how to approach future course sessions."
On Monday, 26th of February the first Semester of IJF Academy started. By this date 1,084 students had registered for Level 1 Instructor course, 242 in the Level 2 Coach course and 287 in the Certified Judo Manager. This is an indication that 2018 is going to be another record-breaking year for the IJF Academy.
Click here to find out how you can join the IJF Academy.