European judo championships commence in Kazan

The European Judo Championships, one of the most prestigious and top-rated continental judo competitions, kicked off at the Tatneft Arena Sports Palace on April 21.

April 21 will see women compete in the 48, 52 and 57kg events and men in the 60 and 66kg events. The preliminary rounds will begin at 13:00 while the consolation repechage round, semifinals and finals will take place at 17:30. The preliminary rounds will be delivered on four tatamis, the semifinals and consolation rounds on two tatamis. Afterwards, the finals will be contested on only one tatami.

The first three days, April 21, 22 and 23, will determine medallists in the men’s and women’s individual events. On the final competition day, April 24, medals will be up for grabs in the men’s and women’s team competition. 16 medals events are about to be contested: seven sets of medal in the men’s and women’s individual events and one set of medals in each team competition.

The Kazan tournament is one of the qualifying events for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (BRA). Medals won at the continental championships will earn winners rating points as follows: gold – 400 rating points, silver – 240, bronze – 160. The tournament will bring together competitors from 40 European countries; over 5,000 visitors are expected to come for the event.

To ensure a comfortable and pleasant spectator experience at the Tatneft Arena Sports Palace, the European Judo Championships OC strongly recommends that spectators arrive at the venue 30 minutes prior to the start of competitions.