Vladimir Putin declares European judo championships in Kazan open

President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, attended the opening ceremony of the European Judo Championships in Kazan to give a welcome speech to all participants and spectators of the tournament. The spectacular performance featuring dance groups, singers, acrobats and an orchestra took place at the Tatneft Arena Sports Palace where continental judo titles are being contested these days.  

“Today in Russia, in one of our beautiful cities, in the capital of Tatarstan, the Judo Championships are being opened. I welcome the participants of the competition, the coaches, the judges, the experts and the admirers of this wonderful sport," Vladimir Putin addressed the audience. "And special words of gratitude to Kazan and Tatarstan for hosting this sports event. They know what sport means here, they like it and they know how to organise such large-scale events."

“The martial arts have a special popularity in Russia, including here, in Tatarstan. Judo has also acquired real popularity in Russia as in many other countries. The spectacular nature and richness of techniques makes it a really attractive sport. And the philosophy of this martial art based on the harmony of the body and the spirit teaches us courage, respect towards an opponent and persistence in reaching preset goals. It develops a real combatant character,” the President noted.

“The promotion of judo in our country is largely contributed by stable and high results demonstrated by our judokas. We are proud of their mastering skills and we expect new victories from them both individually and in the team total. And of course we wish success to all the participants of the competition. And may the best win in the fair fight,” Vladimir Putin concluded and declared the European Judo Championships open.

The Kazan tournament is one of the qualifying events for the 2016 Olympic Games and is about to bring together Europe’s best judokas and major contenders for Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro (BRA). Saturday, April 23, will feature the women’s 78 and +78kg and men’s 90, 100 and +100kg events. On the final competition day, April 24, medals will be up for grabs in the men’s and women’s team competition.