Guadalajara is the centre of World Judo this weekend

The annual World Judo Masters will be held this weekend in Mexico, in Guadalajara, 'The Pearl of the West' and Mexico’s second largest city. The city held events during the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games, the football World Cup’s at World Cup Mexico 1968 and 1986 and the hosted the multi-sport Pan American Games in 2011. In Guadalajara the world’s elite judoka as the top 16 ranked judoka in each category are automatically invited to battle it out at the Lopez Mateo Sports Centre.

The first Masters competition in Pan America will showcase Olympic and world champions, athletes who have booked their ticket to Rio and a handful of judoka who are outside of the qualification zone and are desperate to take their final chance to realise their dream, their life’s work and qualify for the Olympic Games.

A World Judo Masters offers the most qualification points after the World Championships and the IJF World Judo Tour and its leading exponents will feel the warmth of Latin America before Rio as they hope to capture 700 points for gold, while a silver medal earns 420 points and a bronze medallist will scoop 280 points.

Especially the lightweight categories will be very strong and competitive. Former world champion Takato Naohisa (JPN) competes for the first time in 2016 on day one in Mexico. Six-time Grand Slam winner Takato, 22, has won the Masters twice and will see this year’s event as the perfect preparation for his first Olympic Games. Olympic bronze medallist Felipe Kitadai (BRA) and double world bronze medallist Kim Won Jin (KOR) are two further stars on show in the men’s lightest weight category while Mongolia will provide three judoka in world number one Ganbat Boldbaatar, Rio 2016 pick Tsendochir Tsogtbaatar and former world silver medallist Dashdavaa Amartuvshin (MGL). The boys from Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan can also bring some action.

 Olympic champion Sarah Menezes (BRA) will be first up for Brazil at the Olympic Games on 6 August and will look to take a major step towards defending her Olympic crown on that date by winning her first Masters title. She will be fighting against Mexican Edna Carrillo in her first match and then against the winner of Van Snick vs Mestre. In the semi final Paula Pareto followed, who previously addressed to be extremely happy with these World Masters in Pan America. So perhaps good performance for Pan America In the final world number one Munkhbat Urantsetseg (MGL) or Kondo Ami (JPN) could be their opponent.