European Judo Championships part of European Games in Minsk 2019

The European Judo Championships will be included into the program of the 2019 European Games in Minsk. Also at the 2015 European Games in Baku Judo was part of the programme and the only and official European Championship as in that year the European Championships were cancelled. In 2019 Judo is structurally part of the European Games and one of the most important sports in Minsk.

Every year the Belarusian capital hosts two big judo events: the European Open and the international training camp which gathered more than 800 participants in the Staiki Olympic center last time.

The Chizhovka Arena is the most likely venue for the judo tournament. It is one of the best sport centers in Belarus and abroad. The Second European Games are scheduled for 21-30 June 2019 in Minsk. The points will count for the Olympic qualification for Tokyo 2020. The European Games will feature 15 sports.

The president of the NOC is Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko himself. Secretary General of the NOC is George Katulin, himself a great fan of judo and responsible for the bid of the European Games. Katulin visited many judo events in Belarus and is a well-known personality within the IOC.

The European Games in 2015 included a programme for teams and visually impaired athletes.

Watch the judo history of Belarus here