The International Judo Federation (IJF) has recently published its updated global rankings, which find Cypriot judokas amongst the best ranked in the under-18 and under-21 categories.
Several Cypriots also enjoy high-ranking spots in their weight classes, a reflection of the work being carried out by the Pancyprian Judo Federation as well as the clubs and academies training the athletes.
This effort has also been reflected in major international tournaments. In 2018, Cypriot judo was represented in that year’s Summer Youth Olympics with the participation of judoka Giorgos Balardjishvili. In addition, 2019 also saw Cyprus claiming some of its best results in the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE), as well as a participation in the Minsk 2019 European Games.
The Cypriot federation has also acknowledged that the success of Cypriot judokas and their high rankings in the aforementioned age groups could not have been possible were it not for the immense sacrifices of the athletes’ parents, both in terms of financial support, but in other ways as well.
In the under-18 category and the under-50 kilograms weight class, Petros Christodoulides, who is also the son of 2004 Olympian Christos Christodoulides, has managed to climb up to fifth place worldwide. This is well in advance of his expected timeline as his age of 16 means that he has two more years in that particular age group. Also, his 136 points total means that he is within reach of third place in the rankings.
Under-18 judoka Odysseas Georgakis has also managed to climb up to fifth position, albeit in the under-90 kilogram weight class, with a total of 102 points. Meanwhile, Janet Michaelidou has risen to an impressive sixth spot in the over-70 kilogram weight class in the under-18 category.
In additional under-18 rankings, Charis Iordanou finds herself in 10th spot worldwide in the under-48 kilogram weight class, while Giannis Antoniou is 13th in the over-90 kilogram weight class.
In the under-21 category, Sophia Asvesta continues her high-level performances. The Commonwealth Games bronze medal winner is 19th worldwide at the moment in the under-52 kilogram weight class.
The Pancyprian Judo Federation has also offered its appreciation towards its sponsors for their support. These include Opap Cyprus, Petrolina, Suzuki, the Cyprus Sports Organisation and the Cyprus Olympic Committee.
As with other sports, the coronavirus outbreak has put the brakes on competitive judo tournaments, forcing the Cypriot federation to rethink its calendar. For now, the first post-lockdown major international tournaments are scheduled for September, while more tournaments are planned for October.
Judo is an Olympic sport and means ‘gentle way’ in Japanese. It is a martial art which requires the participant to use both their hands and legs to throw the opponent to the ground (or tatami as its known in judo).
A judoka can get an automatic win when they achieve an ippon, meaning a throw which results in the opponent landing on the tatami on their back. If an ippon is not achieved during a fight, the winner is determined through a points tally.
Judo first became an Olympic sport during the 1964 Games, while it was made a permanent fixture in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Judo first allowed the participation of female judokas in the Olympics in 1992.
