The flag of the International Judo Federation (IJF) has been officially handed over to Kazakhstan, which will host the next world championship. The solemn ceremony took place within the framework of the current World Championships wrapping up in Baku. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
IJF Secretary General Lisa Allan presented the flag to the President of the Judo Federation of Kazakhstan, Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev.
The World Judo Championships will be held from June 7 to 14, 2027, in Astana and will become one of the key stages of the Olympic qualification for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
As part of the world championship, athletes will compete for important ranking points taken into account when distributing Olympic licenses.
As Yessekeyev noted, the upcoming championship is of particular importance for domestic sports and opens up new opportunities for the further development of judo in the country.
«Holding the World Judo Championships in Kazakhstan is an event of exceptional significance for domestic sports and evidence of high trust on the part of the international sports community. For us, this is not only a great honor, but also a serious responsibility. Our task is to ensure the championship is held at the highest organizational level corresponding to the standards of the International Judo Federation. We will pay special attention to the preparation of the national team. Performing on the home tatami in front of our fans places additional responsibility on our athletes. We count on worthy results and will create all the necessary conditions for this, improve the training system, provide quality training support and participation of athletes in international competitions. There is a lot of comprehensive work ahead, and we intend to use the upcoming championship not only to strengthen Kazakhstan's positions on the world sports arena, but also for the further development of judo in our country», — noted Yessekeyev.
The tournament will become one of the key stages of qualification, where athletes will fight for ranking points to obtain licenses for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Kazakhstan will host the adult World Judo Championships for the second time in history — the country first organized this tournament in 2015.
In addition, for four years, from 2023 to 2026, Kazakhstan acted as the organizer of the prestigious international Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam tournament, which is part of the official calendar of the International Judo Federation (IJF) and is of great importance in the Olympic qualification system.
Holding competitions of such a high level testifies to the strengthening of Kazakhstan's positions in world judo and confirms the country's readiness to host major international sporting events.
Meanwhile, the Kazakhstan national team finished its performance at the World Championships in Baku with a silver medal. The award was brought to the national team by Sherzod Davlatov, who became the vice-champion of the world in the weight category up to 60 kg.