The wait is over! All stars of European judo are in Kazan
The European Judo Championships started yesterday in the capital of Tatarstan
The first fight of the European Championships started yesterday in Kazan. But the full-fledged start of the competition of the strongest athletes of the continent will be today, when the official opening ceremony will be held that the President of the country Vladimir Putin is going to visit. The draw ceremony of the European contest took place on 20 April, and the first persons of the European and national judo, including the Minister of Sport of Tatarstan, answered the questions of journalists. Details are in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
It is not the first text about the coming European Judo Championships written by the sports staff of Realnoe Vremya. Each time journalists were given different data about the number of participants in the competition. Now we are glad to tell the latest figures, and we are sure they will be final. According to the president of the European Judo Union Sergei Soloveychik, 395 athletes from 46 countries will take part in the European Championships. 'I'm convinced the championships in Kazan will be held at a high level,' he noted.
Sergey Soloveychik: 'It is not just a start allowing to score points before the Olympic in Rio de Janeiro,' he noted. 'Participants want to show themselves and their labour, it is important for everyone to give a good performance.' Photo: dspkazan.com
It is not just a qualifying tournament to Rio
'Russia is a hospital country,' the head of the EJU stressed. 'Chelyabinsk hosted the European Judo Championships four years ago and the World Judo Championships two years ago. Now Tatarstan became the capital of the European Championships. There is a coordinated organizing team here, and I'm sure the competitions will take a rightful place among other contests held in Russia.'
Soloveychik said that the European Championships is important not only in terms of the Olympic qualifying event. 'It is not just a start allowing to score points before the Olympic in Rio de Janeiro,' he noted. 'Participants want to show themselves and their labour, it is important for everyone to give a good performance.' It is true. All in all the strongest athletes of the largest continent will be decided here. They are real stars!
Stars of the continent and Vladimir Putin
Just take the Olympic champions in London 2012 from Russian Arsen Galstyan and Tagir Khaibulaev alone. An experienced fan will have eyeful figures among the Varangians. It is one of the rivals of Khaibulaev bronze medalist in London 2012 Gron Henk (the Netherlands); we should note Eman Gevrise, a French judoka, bronze medalist in the Olympic 2012; and, finally, a world champion Slovenian Tina Trstenjak. And we, fans from Tatarstan, are interested in our pupil Niyaz Bilalov, who will participate in a 100 kg weight division.
Meanwhile, there are fewer and fewer tickets to such interesting competitions available. The Ministry of Sport of Tatarstan Vladimir Leonov said about it to journalists on 20 April. According to him, not only people from Tatarstan express their interest in the competitions but also guests of the republic. 'The fact that it will be a qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro adds zest as well as the meeting of the Council for Development of Physical Culture and Sport with the participation of the President of the Russian Federation, which will be held during the competitions. We expect to see the administration of our country in the competitions and at the opening ceremony,' he told. Well, no increased safety measures are planned because of Vladimir Putin's visit – everything is in a working mode.
'Firstly, any international competition presupposes a security upgrade. Everything is corresponding to the mode planned, we are getting ready. The protocol service of the administration of the country is working in a dialogue with us,' Vladimir Leonov said.
Meldonium and judo did not spare…
What sports topic would do without the freshest mainstream of Russian sport? I am speaking about meldonium, of course. A question about it was given to the head of the European Judo Union Sergey Soloveychik. According to him, problems connected with the inclusion of meldonium in the list of banned substances influenced judokas from countries of the former Soviet Union.
'It is a pity that the athletes were unprotected in this situation. Russia grudges neither money nor efforts to communicate with the best world lawyers. Our athletes deserve such protection, they are completely innocent. It affected the preparation of the athletes, campings whose compositions were corrected. It is a pity that politics interferes in sport. It is one of the last bridges connecting people. And this bridge is being destroyed. And we are doing our best. In judo, a problem of a national federation is our common problem,' Soloveychik stated.
Nothing to be afraid of
It should be reminded that it was known on 4 April that four Russian judokas, including Denis Yartsev and Ekaterina Valkova, failed dope tests on meldonium, which has been banned by WADA since 1 January. The head coach of the national team of Russia Ezio Gamba did not bypass the question. He is sure that there is no risk for the team in the participation of these judokas in the European Judo Championships in Kazan.
'What risk? Athletes are completely innocent. They did not use meldonium after it was banned. There is a feeling that I was the last person in Russia who knew about this situation. It has happened recently! I had heard about neither meldonium nor mildronate. Guys of the national team told me what it was, and it was a complete surprise for me. I've read an article in the Italian press – it was not invented for sport! I don't understand such an attention paid to meldonium now. Those who used it in the national team stopped taking meldonium in August, and it was found in Denis Yartsev's test seven months later! It means that it remains in the organism during a long time. This is why the athletes do not need to hide anything – they are innocent.
Optimal team squad of the national team of Russia
The final squad of the women's and men's national teams of Russia in the European Judo Championships was mentioned in the end because of all these peripetias. The men's team of Russia will be represented by Arsen Galstyan and Anzaur Ardanov (-66 kg), Denis Yartsev (-73 kg), Khasan Khalmurzaev (-81 kg), Magomed Magomedov (-90 kg), Adlan Bisultanov and Niyaz Bilalov (-100 kg) and Andrey Volkov (+100 kg). The composition of the women's national team will look the following way: Natalia Kondratyeva (-48 kg), Yulia Ryzhova (-52 kg), Tatiana Kazenyuk and Daria Mezhetskaya (-57 kg), Pari Surakatova and Ekaterina Valkova (63 kg), Irina Gazieva (-70 kg), Antonina Shmeleva (-78 kg), Ksenia Chibisova (+78 kg).
Ezio Gamba: 'We are waiting for all Russia athletes to successfully perform in Kazan. I never make forecasts for medals. Each member of our team can demonstrate a good result'. Photo: mdms.tatarstan.ru
'It is an optimal squad, and it is very strong. We are waiting for all Russia athletes to successfully perform in Kazan. I never make forecasts for medals. Each member of our team can demonstrate a good result. The women's team has a progress. The number of the representatives in each weight division increased. We have about 40 women who compete at a high level and 24 top judokas,' Ezio Gamba commented the squad of the Russian team.
In conclusion, we will note that the European Judo Championships has been organized since 1951. Only men's competitions took place until 1975, and women started to participate since 1975 respectively. And these competitions will be held in four tatamis. The final block will include semi-finals and consolation matches on two mats, then fights for medals will take place on one tatami only. The championships will end on 24 April.