First edition of European Championship Open held in Kosovo

The closing of the EJU competition year 2023 promises to be a very special one: On the 16th of December the city of Pristina in Kosovo will organize a one day event for both men and women with two weight classes (chosen by local organiser): -57kg and -73kg, with a sensational prize money.

“The European Championships Open herald a new era for us in several respects: for the first time, an international judo tournament of the general class will be staged in Kosovo. The tournament is highly supported by the government. We offer a great financial incentive to our athletes, who have caused a sensation with three Olympic victories in the last few years. Athletes/trainers can expect 150,000 euros per weight class – that’s a huge step by judo standards,” affirms Agron Kuka, President of the Kosovo Judo Federation. “Judo has long been a national sport here. What we have been missing so far is a home tournament where our top stars can show themselves in front of a home crowd. It’s high time we changed that.”

The format looks like the Judo Hero challenge, held in 2014 in Tyumen with only one category, but this time for men and women. In 2014 the Hero Challenge U66kg was won by Rok Draksic.

The organiser Kosovo has the right to provide 2 starters per weight category. For all other nations: only 1 competitor per weight category.

“With this European Championships Open we want to create a new, audience-friendly format and offer an additional incentive for our top aces. We want to offer up to two tournaments of this kind per year in the future,” says EJU President László Toth.