Poreč once again became the summer meeting point for the international judo community as JudoFest got under way on 8 June. The week is anchored by the European Judo Union Olympic Training Camp (OTC) and the Poreč Cadet Training Camp, drawing more than 600 senior and 200 cadet judoka to the Intersport Hall in Zelena Laguna.
The participant list reads like an all-star roll-call: two-time Olympic champion Lukáš Krpálek (CZE), 2012 Olympic champion Lasha Shavdatuashvili (GEO), world champions Tato Grigalashvili and Eteri Liparteliani, world number one Lara Cvjetko (CRO), Germany's Anna Monta Olek, Mexico's Olympic silver medallist Prisca Awiti Alcaraz and Portugal's two-time world champion Jorge Fonseca. Croatia itself fielded 50+ senior and 40+ cadet athletes under a large national coaching team.
From 14 to 18 June the camp extends with U14/U16 sessions led by world champion Ákos Braun, inclusive judo sessions, a Kodokan-led kata seminar, and a family camp for parents with children under ten. Total participation is expected to reach 1,100.
Full story: International Judo Federation