A record 682 judokas from 110 countries will be seen in action at the Abu Dhabi World Championships Seniors 2024 Individuals and Mixed Teams to be held in Abu Dhabi from 19th to 24th May.

Organised by the International Judo Federation in coordination with the UAE Judo Federation, the week-long competition witnessed last-minute registrations coming in from all parts of the world, with the number of athletes standing at 682 from 110 countries.

Of these, 362 will be men and another 320 will be women participating in seven different weight categories each, all vying for a share of the 1 million Euros total prize money.

In Abu Dhabi, the women will compete in the -48 kg, -52 kg, -57 kg, -63 kg, -70 kg, -78 kg and +78 kg weight categories, while the men will be in action in the -60 kg, -66 kg, -73 kg, -81 kg, -90 kg, -100 kg and +100 kg weight categories.

The UAE national team will be among the leading favourites along with strong contenders from France, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Bahrain, Algeria and Tunisia.

The World Championships in Abu Dhabi will host one of the legends of the sport of Judo, Frenchman Teddy Riner, who holds the distinction being the youngest and the oldest world champion.

Other prominent world champions who will be seen in action include Yang Yung-wei of Taiwan (-60kg), Matthias Casse of Belgium (-81kg), Tajikistan’s Temur Rakhimov (+100 kg), all in the men’s competition.

Confirmed so far in the women’s categories are Italy’s Assunta Scutto (-48kg), the Canadian duo of Christa Deguchi (-57kg) and Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (-48kg) and Croatia’s Barbara Matic (-70kg).

Mohammed bin Tha’aloob Saleem Al Darie, President of the UAE Judo Federation and Chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee, was thrilled with the overwhelming response to the competition that has given the UAE a new certificate of excellence in hosting international sporting events.

“The overwhelming response to the registration till the final hours of deadline reflects the keenness of all countries and players to participate in the competition. Not only have we been able to attract a record 110 countries, we have also managed to have most of the former and current world champions lining up for a slice of the action in Abu Dhabi,” he added.

The draw of lots will take place on Saturday (18th May), while the individual competitions will get under way from Sunday and go on till 23rd May. The final day of the championships (24th May) will be dedicated for the Mixed Teams competitions.

Tickets can be obtained online through the Virgin Megastore website, via the link https://bitly.ws/3h23x.