The draw was opened by Dr Lisa Allan, IJF Secretary General, "Dear President Nakamura, President Uemura, Special Advisor Mr Hosokawa, dear judo family, on behalf of our president, Mr Marius Vizer, and the International Judo Federation, we welcome you all to the last IJF event of this year, the Tokyo Grand Slam 2023.
President Nakamura, we would like to acknowledge our gratitude to you, your local sponsors and your staff, technical officials and volunteers for the professional collaboration and meticulous preparations of the competition.
Returning to Japan, the origin of our sport, the top athletes compete over the next two days, continuing to chase qualification points for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games which begin in 238 days. Thank you to all the athletes, coaches and officials for your continued support of the World Judo Tour and we wish you all the best of luck."
The President of the All Japan Judo Federation, Mr Shinichi Nakamura, then took the floor, "Dear President Vizer, members of the IJF Executive Committee, dear judo family, I am happy to welcome you all to the Tokyo Grand Slam. The world's top judoka are now united in Japan. With the Paris Olympic Games just around the corner, we can anticipate an exciting weekend of judo. I hope that all nations and judoka are able to display the results of their hard work and dedication.
My sincere gratitude goes to President Vizer and the IJF for their continuous support and partnership. I would also like to express my appreciation to TV Tokyo and all our sponsors for their contributions.
I hope that your time in Japan builds long-standing friendships and leaves you with lasting memories. Thank you and good luck!"
Present during the draw, from the International Judo Federation, Secretary General Dr Lisa Allan, International Development and Promotion Director Mr Jean Luc Rougé and Head Referee Director Mr Florin Daniel Lascau. From the All Japan Judo Federation, their President Mr Shinichi Nakamura, President of the Kodokan Judo Institute Mr Haruki Uemura, and All Japan Judo Federation Special Advisor Mr Shinji Hosokawa.
Important information was given before the technical aspect of the draw. Thus, during the grand slam, as part of IJF’s continuous dedication to clean sport and fair play, the IJF Clean Judo Team has created a dedicated anti-doping Telegram channel for sharing up to date general and Paris 2024 anti-doping information, targeted information for Registered Testing Pool athletes, weekly quizzes to test the subscribers’ anti-doping knowledge in a fun way and video and written anti-doping material in collaboration with the International Testing Agency.
The 2-day competition takes place in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. On day 1 there will the -57 kg, -70 kg, +78 kg, -73 kg, -81 kg and -90 kg categories and on day 2 will be the -48 kg, -52 kg, -63 kg, -78 kg, -60 kg, -66 kg, -100 kg and +100 kg categories. Preliminary rounds will begin on both days at 09:00. The final block on two tatami (medal contests only) will be at 15:30 on day 1 and 17:00 on day 2.