"We have seen incredible judo this week in Portugal with the usual countries performing well at this level, as well as newcomers and nations that are developing fast. Since Covid, which feels like an age ago, we have seen a steady increase in participation. Our young age categories continue to grow and that is very positive.
After Paris 2024 next year, the judoka who were present in Odivelas will be the the ones performing in Los Angeles 2028. I cannot wait to see them reaching the top senior level and I can't wait to see them competing in Pan America.
It was an exciting moment to watch Jack Yonezuka winning the silver medal. This is great for USA Judo obviously but it will have a positive impact on the whole continent. It shows that there is potential. It will help to grow judo, for sure. In the past, the USA produced amazing judoka like Jimmy (Pedro), Travis (Stevens), Marti (Malloy) and of course Kayla (Harrison); Jack is representing the next generation.
I must thank President Pina and his team from the Portuguese Judo Federation. They did a wonderful job welcoming all the delegations from around the world. They have been fabulous hosts. The competition was great, the transport went well, as did the accommodation. Those are the points that we are looking at and everything was well executed.
The IJF Sport Commission is very happy. We still have the mixed team event tomorrow and it will be very exciting, with 15 teams engaged. Thanks to the work done at all levels, from the IJF Academy to the national federations and through the media exposure given to judo worldwide, we are now getting well deserved results from cadets to seniors and beyond.
The future of judo looks great!"