The new season in world judo promises to be very eventful and interesting. And there are several reasons for this: the return to the tatami of the heroes of the Olympic Games in Paris, adaptation to changes in the rules and, of course, the birth of new names.
As Day.Az reports with reference to İdman.biz, the calendar traditionally includes competitions for every taste. In 2025, 10 Grand Slam tournaments, three Grand Prix, and a World Championship will take place. Moreover, the turnout promises to be high already at the first starts, because judokas will have to fight according to new rules, to a certain extent from scratch. Among the features of the changes are the return of the “yuko” rating and the possibility of grabs below the belt. Athletes will test their new skills for the first time on February 1-2 at the Grand Slam in Paris, which opens the season. And two weeks later the World Tour will move to Baku. Like last year, the Grand Slam in the capital will again take place in February (14-16).
By the way, the last month of winter will include three Grand Slams at once – from February 28 to March 2 it will take place in Tashkent. And such a competitive kaleidoscope is also connected with the fact that before the World Championships in Budapest (June 13-19), judokas must adapt to new rules, which after the World Cup will be discussed with an eye to Olympic qualification.
Therefore, before the main start of the season, several more Grand Slam tournaments will take place in Tbilisi, Dushanbe and Astana, as well as the Grand Prix in Austria. It is possible that before the World Cup there will also be a Grand Slam in Antalya, the date of which has not yet been determined.
After the World Cup there will be relative calm on the calendar. The only thing that attracts attention is the Grand Slam in Ulaanbaatar (July 25-27), and in the fall all attention will be directed to Abu Dhabi. Last year’s World Cup capital will once again host the Grand Slam (October 17-19). Next on the schedule are the Zagreb Grand Prix (November 14-16) and the Portuguese Grand Prix, the dates of which will be determined later. Well, the season will end with the Grand Slam in Tokyo (December 6-7).
Below we present the schedule of approved competitions for 2025
February 1-2. Grand Slam in Paris (France)
February 14-16. Grand Slam in Baku
February 28 – March 2. Grand Slam in Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
March 7-9. Grand Prix in Linz (Austria)
March 21-23. Grand Slam in Tbilisi (Georgia)
May 2-4. Grand Slam in Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
May 9-11. Grand Slam in Astana (Kazakhstan)
June 13-19. World Championships in Budapest (Hungary)
July 25-27. Grand Prix in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
October 17-19. Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi (UAE)
November 14-16. Grand Prix in Zagreb (Croatia)
December 6-7. Grand Slam in Tokyo (Japan)