Nearly 1,000 judokas from 59 nations, including medalists from the Paris Games, will conclude tomorrow the week-long training camp at Palau de la Música Catalana
Benidorm hosts the Olympic Judo Training Camp, with a record number of athletes and participating countries
This week, Benidorm is hosting the Spanish Olympic Judo Training Camp, a training camp that this year achieved a record number of athletes, with nearly 1,000 judokas, and also a record number of participating countries, with 59 nations. According to the Royal Spanish Federation of Judo and Associated Sports, these figures consolidate the event "as the most important and highest-level event in the world."
From the 18th of this month until tomorrow, Saturday, some of the best judokas on the planet have trained side by side on the 1,400 square meters of tatami mats at the Palau d'Esports l'Illa. Not surprisingly, Benidorm has hosted the majority of the medalists from the last World Championships and the Paris 2024 Games, "raising the level of training to the absolute elite." Among the teams from almost 60 countries was the International Refugee Team. At the national level, the Spanish delegation featured leading figures, who took advantage of this gathering in Benidorm as preparation for the Budapest World Championships, which will be held from June 13 to 20. Among the delegation members are Fran Garrigós, bronze medalist at Paris 2024; Nikoloz Sherazadishvili, two-time world champion; and Laura Martínez and Ai Tsunoda, both Olympic diploma holders in Paris.
The event, organised by the Royal Federation as part of its strategy to boost the level of judo in Spain without leaving the country, has had the support of the City Council, the Alicante Provincial Council, the Higher Sports Council, and the Spanish Olympic Committee, in addition to Iberdrola and Daedo.
The Councillor for Sports, Javier Jordá, stated that "once again, Benidorm has demonstrated that it is ready to host top-level international events, not only due to its facilities but also due to its organisational capacity and commitment to sport." From the Royal Federation, for its part, He stressed that "having this level of training at home, with rivals and world and Olympic champions, is a privilege for our judokas and a great opportunity for Spanish judo to continue growing."
