WINDS OF CHANGE – European Judo Federation
Saturday, December 10, was an important day for European Judo with 74th Regular congress in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was the official end of a special year in which the new team also led the largest continent’s judo federation. 46 of the 51 member federations and guests of honor such as the Vice President of the IJF and the President of the Pan American Judo Confederation Carlos ZEGARRA PRESSER were present.
dr. László TÓTH opened his first regular congress as EJU president with an emotional opening speech:
We will remember the year 2022 as particularly challenging. But despite all the problems that are still happening, it has also been shown that Judo is really more than a sport. As a European judo family, we focused on cooperation. Together, we not only held wonderful events, but also established a new atmosphere and closer partnerships – within our European family and the International Judo Federation. I believe that cooperation is the key to success, so we will certainly continue this path in 2023 – and I firmly believe that with this judo can also send an important message to society.
After the opening address, all reports – of the president, general secretary, three vice-presidents, referee director and chief treasurer – were unanimously approved. As well as the minutes of the previous regular congress in Istanbul 2021 and the extraordinary congress in Vienna 2022. In addition, the members of the executive committee also gave future plans in their sectors.
In terms of sport, 2023 will not only see a total of 104 tournaments across Europe, but also the return of major countries such as Germany with the U23 European Championships in Potsdam and the Netherlands with the Junior European Championships in The Hague, as hosts of European Judo Prime events.
Hrvoje LINDI, vice president for sports, explains:
![](https://www.eju.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/EJU 2022 GabiJuan 115A2734-1024x641.jpg)
With the pandemic hopefully behind us, we can finally start again in full force in 2023, hosting over 100 events together with our member federations. We will also start a project to support athletes, where the goal is, of course, the best possible results at the upcoming world championships and Olympic Games. An important project is also the beginning of close cooperation between the coach, the athlete and the refereeing committee.
A better understanding for each of these three parties is also what should be achieved with the first joint meeting between coaches and referees, which will take place in January at the Olympic training camp in Mittersill. In addition, referee director Alexandr JATSKEVICH wants to raise the quality and quantity of European referees in 2023:
![](https://www.eju.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/EJU 2022 GabiJuan 115A2414-1024x734.jpg)
Exactly half of the 54 judges active on the 2022 IJF World Tour were from Europe. So, at the top of the judging pyramid, we are already doing great. In 2023, we also want to attract and educate a new generation of judges. We want to give young and ambitious referees from national associations the opportunity not only to learn from the best, but also to prove themselves at the international level.
Ensuring continuous education is what Vice President Sergei ASCHWANDEN wants to ensure in the future as well:
![](https://www.eju.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/EJU 2022 GabiJuan 115A2400-1024x718.jpg)
As we have a completely new team in the education department, we have put emphasis on listening to national associations and understanding different needs in the first six months. We are now focusing on setting priorities such as enhanced cooperation with the IJF and building close partnerships within the European Judo family. That is why we are developing a strategy based on best practice experiences – the first step is the ‘workshop of national associations’, which we conducted during the preparations for the congress. A big goal for the future is also the establishment of kata as an educational method for children. And, of course, we also want to ensure that all our member members have the same level of education with the tools and guidelines we have created.
Helping national associations to reach new levels is what Senior Vice President Otto KNEITINGER had in mind when he announced the launch of the support program at the last regular congress:
![](https://www.eju.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/EJU 2022 GabiJuan 115A2408-1024x718.jpg)
I made a promise in Istanbul, and whenever you make a promise, you have to deliver. A year later, I am happy to say that we succeeded in this, as we provided our member associations with more than one million euros through our pandemic program. It was a family effort with the help of our suppliers and partners, but in the end it turned out to be a win-win situation for everyone. In addition, through the solidarity fund, we were able to give 150,000 euros to associations that had serious problems in 2022. Next year we will continue to promote judo across Europe with projects such as offering free high-level steam production for ten additional tournaments, creating additional social media channels to reach new target groups and a special marketing project focusing on the trip to Paris 2024.
![](https://www.eju.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/EJU-2022-GabiJuan-115A2228-1024x683.jpg)
Also the general secretary dr. Martin POIGER had good news as he announced the extended financial support of the Austrian government for the EJU head office in Vienna.
Author: EJU Media