National Judo Team Among Top 4 In IJF World Tour

Azerbaijan's judo team has started the new season of IJF World Tour in fourth place, according to the tour's performance ranking, Azernews reports.

This ranking considers the team's results throughout the year in various tournaments. The Azeri judokas made an impressive start by securing three medals at the Paris Grand Slam, with Ruslan Pashayev winning gold, Rashid Mammadaliyev and Omar Rajabli securing bronze medals.

France currently leads the ranking, followed by Japan and South Korea.

The IJF World Tour is a worldwide top-tier judo tour, organized by the International Judo Federation since 2009.

The IJF World Tour consists of the annual World Championships and World Masters, a series of Grand Slam and Grand Prix tournaments, the annual continental championships and open meets organized by the respective continental judo unions, as well as the annual World Juniors Championships.

Achievements in these competitions are rewarded with ranking points, which are then used to determine a judoka's world ranking.

Founded in 1972, the Azerbaijan Judo Federation actively promotes this martial art across the country. Since 2015, the Federation has been led by Rovnag Abdullayev.

The country's modern judo history was laid by Mehman Azizov, who won a silver medal at the Old World Championship in 1998.

A year later, the winner of the World Youth Games in Moscow, Rasul Salimov, grabbed the bronze medal at the European Championship in Slovakia. Another national judoka, Elchin Ismayilov, became the European champion in 2000 in Wroclaw.

However, the achievements of Azerbaijani judo fighters did not stop there. Elnur Mammadli was named the best at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 73 kg division.

The list of the country's top judo fighters includes Rustam Orujov, Irina Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov, Hidayat Heydarov, Zelim Kotsoev, Ushangi Kokauri, and Nijat Shikhalizada.

At the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, judokas Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) and Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) earned gold medals for Azerbaijan.

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