Our Position Among the Leaders of World Judo Is Growing Stronger

It is truly gratifying to see the continued success of Azerbaijani judokas. In recent days, members of our national team have achieved impressive results both at the Grand Prix tournament held in Qingdao, China, and at the European Open tournament organized in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

A week ago, following the Grand Slam tournament in Ulaanbaatar, I noted that the current achievements of Azerbaijani judo are no coincidence. These results are the logical outcome of the rich judo traditions built over many years, the systematic work carried out by the Azerbaijan Judo Federation, the dedication of our coaches, and the high professionalism of our athletes. Zelim Tckaev’s gold medal in the -81 kg category at the Qingdao Grand Prix, along with bronze medals won by Ahmad Yusifov (-60 kg), Hidayat Heydarov (-81 kg), and Murad Fatiyev (-90 kg), as well as our national team’s third-place finish among men after the powerful teams of Japan and Russia, fully confirms this point.

I would particularly like to highlight the successful performance of our Olympic, world, and four-time European champion Hidayat Heydarov in Qingdao. In my comments after the Ulaanbaatar tournament a week ago, where he was unable to step onto the tatami due to a technical reason, I stated that I believed in Hidayat’s professionalism, character, and determination to win. This time, competing in a different weight category, -81 kg, and winning a bronze medal at his first major international tournament in this division shows that he has fully justified that confidence. I hope Hidayat will achieve even greater success in the upcoming competitions and once again be among the strongest athletes in the world at the next Olympic Games.

As the founder of Judo Club 2012, I must also emphasize that the strong results achieved by the club’s graduate Murad Fatiyev (-90 kg) at prestigious tournaments are a source of great satisfaction for me. Winning another bronze medal and stepping onto the podium in Qingdao just one week after the Ulaanbaatar tournament shows that he has developed into a high-level judoka. In my view, Murad has strong potential to become a participant in future Olympic Games.

The performance of our judokas at the European Open tournament in Prague, where they won one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal and shared second-third places with the French national team in the men’s team standings, demonstrates that Azerbaijan judo also has a strong reserve of talent. The gold medal won by Elshan Asadov (-66 kg), the silver medals claimed by Rashad Yelkiyev (-66 kg) and Ajdar Baghirov (-100 kg), and the bronze medal earned by Kamran Suleymanov (-73 kg) give us every reason to look to the future with optimism.

Today, the Azerbaijani judo school continues to make its mark as one of the strongest in the world. This consistency is the result of great effort, the right strategy, and professional management.

On the occasion of these magnificent achievements, I sincerely congratulate all our medal-winning judokas, their coaches, the leadership of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation, and our entire great judo family. I wish each of our athletes many new victories in the tournaments ahead!

Azer Askerov