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IJF
2023-2024: a real hinge
have the opportunity to pursue their Olym- pic dream in France.
2024 therefore promises to be exciting in more ways than one. If all eyes are on the French capital, which will already host the Paris Grand Slam in February and which, a few months later, will host the Games, the calendar is full! After Portugal in January, and Paris in February, there will be Azerbai- jan, Uzbekistan, Austria, Georgia, Türkiye, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and then Abu Dha- bi, without forgetting Mongolia just before the Games.
The World Judo Tour will be present on the Internet (https://www.ijf.org/) and on all its communication platforms throughout the year, particularly on https://judotv.com/ which was completely redesigned in 2023 and which will further develop in 2024. Alongside this intense sporting activi- ty, the International Judo Federation will continue to be active in the field of edu- cational development through its flagship programmes such as Judo for Children, Judo in Schools, Judo for Refugees and Judo for Peace and through the activities carried out by the The IJF Academy which offers diploma-level training throughout the world. The judo values will occupy the cen- tre of the stage in every environment.
For many years, judo has experienced a real revolution which today makes it a dy- namic sport recognised for its impact on society. 2024 will therefore not be a year of the end of the cycle, but on the contrary, a year marking the start of a new develop- ment cycle on the five continents.
The year 2023 was so beautiful and 2024 promises to be even more grand. It must be said that the judo sea- son which has just passed has kept all its promises and that there was not a single month without incredible sporting devel- opments.
It all began in January in Portugal for the first World Judo Tour event of the year. It is also the same place that the 2024 season will launch at the end of this coming Jan- uary. But let's not go too fast. There was then a series of competitions, each event with its share of confirmations and surpris- es. In these times of Olympic qualification, every point counts. Since June 2023, these have been counted at 100% of their value. The highlight of the season was undoubt- edly the World Championships Doha 2023, which, in the heart of the Qatari capital, offered a high-quality spectacle. 14 new world champions were designated and Japan won a new mixed team title ahead of France. While the team tournament was introduced into the programme of the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021, the nation- al federations are already preparing for the second edition of the tournament in Paris 2024. The stage in Doha was therefore par- ticularly important.
As soon as the world championships closed, the world circuit resumed and the 2023 season saw the inclusion in the cal- endar of new destinations such as Upper
Austria and Tajikistan, which demonstrat- ed the dynamics of judo in these regions. The other great moment of the year was the organisation of the World Judo Mas- ters in Budapest. The Hungarian capital thus became, for a few days, the capital of world judo, while the city already hosts the headquarters of the International Judo Federation.
The season ended in style in Tokyo, Japan, the birthplace of judo, where the IJF once again collaborated with IBSA to offer the best conditions for Paralympic athletes. Throughout this magnificent season, we were also able to follow the exploits of the best cadets and juniors, as well as the kata specialists and veterans, who met for their respective world championships in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking of the capital of the Emirates, it will be at the centre of all attention for the judo planet again soon, since UAE will host the 2024 edition of the world judo champi- onships. This will take place a few weeks before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and will seal the fate of the athletes who will
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