The 2026 European Judo Veterans Championships are being held at the Portimao Arena in Portugal from 22 to 25 October, with more than 1,370 athletes from 36 countries entered, the largest edition in the event’s history.
Competition is open to judoka aged 30 and above and runs for four days. France leads the entry list with 620 athletes, about 46 per cent of the field, followed by Spain with 98, Italy 77, Germany 74 and Georgia 67.
The championships began in Kecskemet, Hungary, in 2003, when 337 athletes from 26 countries competed. The European Judo Union has organised the event regularly since 2009, with only the 2020 and 2021 editions lost to the pandemic. The entry has grown to more than four times that first field.
Two former senior internationals from Georgia are among the entrants. Nestor Khergiani, an Olympic silver medallist at Athens 2004 as well as a world silver and bronze medallist, competes in the M5 -73 kg category. Adam Okruashvili, the 2015 European champion who also won European silver in 2013 and 2014 and world bronze in 2015, enters the M3 +100 kg at the age of 40.
